WASP-HS

PhD Defense: Multisensory Interactions with Biophilic Flying Robots
2025-11-10 09:00 - 12:00 (Europe/Stockholm)
Ziming Wang defends his doctoral thesis, “Multisensory Interactions with Biophilic Flying Robots” at Chalmers University of University.
See event page.
Abstract
The relationship between nature and humanity has evolved throughout history and across technological epochs. This thesis advances the hypothesis that integrating natural characteristics into robot design can enrich human–computer interaction (HCI) by drawing on our deep-rooted familiarity with and affinity for the natural world. To investigate this proposition, I examined close-range interactions with flying robots under different proxemic conditions, employing a mixed-methods approach.
The thesis comprises four empirical studies, each probing a different pathway through which biophilic elements might shape human perception, interaction, and imagination. Study I examined how overlaying natural soundscapes such as birdsong and rainfall affected the perception of a noisy flying robot (N = 56). Study II explored nature narratives, particularly the conceptualization of indoor drones as animal-like companions through function framing (N = 60). Study III compared experiences with a bioinspired flapping-wing drone—foregrounding organic forms and biomimetic movement—against a similarly sized quadcopter (N = 56). Study IV staged a speculative dinner theater in which participants (N = 6) engaged with the provocative scenario of eating a biohybrid drone, highlighting hybrid living components as a design material. Across these studies, variations in spatial proximity (from very near to relatively far) and temporal framing (from near- to far-future scenarios) were integrated to reveal how context shapes engagement and experiences.
Collectively, the findings show that nature-inspired design elements can foster intuitive, relatable, and emotionally resonant interactions with flying robots, while also surfacing ethical and practical challenges. This thesis contributes empirical insights into how people respond to biophilic flying robots and argues for moving beyond surface-level biomimicry toward intentional, context-aware integration of natural elements. By treating nature not merely as aesthetic inspiration but as a lens for crafting meaningful, embodied interactions, we can design technologies that resonate more deeply with human experience—particularly in close-range, affective, and everyday settings.
See full thesis.
Supervisor
Morten Fjeld, Professor
Pedro Cardoso-Leite, Associate Professor
Opponent
Joseph Paradiso, Professor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA

Workshop: Girls Just Want to Have Sc(AI)ence—Part 5
2025-11-17 12:30 - 15:00 | Lund University, LUX, Helgonavägen 3, Lund, 22362, Sweden
Reimagining the Politics of AI: Co-Creating Tools to Confront Gender-Related Violence
Please note that this event is independently organized by a WASP-HS researcher and not the WASP-HS Program Office.
Such of today’s AI development is driven by large-scale models that demand vast datasets, compute resources and invisible human labour — often reinforcing the very inequalities they claim to solve. But what might AI look like if we built it differently? Drawing from the participatory, feminist work of the Data Against Feminicide project, this talk will explore how we can shift the politics of knowledge and data production in AI development towards non-extractive approaches that centre context, collaboration and care.
Data Against Feminicide is a collaborative research and design project focused on supporting the work of civil society organisations and grassroots activists who monitor gender-related violence and feminicide — the gender-related killing of cisgender and transgender women and girls. Across the world, many activists and grassroots groups produce their own data to draw attention to this systemic, lethal violence, hold public institutions accountable, support collective action and remember lives lost.Since 2019, our interdisciplinary team has worked with activists and civil society groups across the Americas and in Sub-Saharan Africa to co-design machine learning tools that support activists’ existing data production strategies rather than replace their labour. This work has included participatory data annotation and model evaluation with attention to the socio-spatial and ethical complexities of defining and detecting feminicide across contexts.
The talk will reflect on what this work reveals about the politics of AI, showing how choices about who is involved, how technology is developed, and to what ends directly shape its social impact. It will argue for a feminist data epistemology that moves from centralised, extractive data practices towards collaborative forms of knowledge production; from abstract, generalising models towards bespoke tools attentive to local and contextual difference; and from harmful automation towards more reflexive, caring engagements that question not only what machine learning can do but whether it should be applied at all.
Using concrete examples from the project, the talk will also explore the tensions of co-producing AI: how such tools can alleviate activist labour, where biases remain and what it means to democratise technical know-how. Ultimately, it will invite researchers and practitioners to rethink how AI can be designed with and for communities on the frontlines of social justice.
Practical Information
The workshop is arranged in a hybrid format on 18 March, 2025– 12.30 to 13.20: Hybrid lecture on zoom– 12.30 to 15.30: On-site lecture plus workshop in SOL:A129b, Helgonabacken 12, Lund, Sweden
Invited speaker: Ericka Johnson, Professor at Linköping University
Programme 17 November
13.00 – 14.00 Lecture (hybrid)
14.00 Coffee break
14.15 Workshop session
Registration
To participate is free of charge. Registration for online lecture or for both lecture and workshop on-site in Lund at ai.lu.se.

Study Abroad Tips and Tricks
2025-11-24 16:00 - 17:15
Interested in going abroad for a semester? WASP-HS PhD students are welcome to this session where your fellow PhD students who have been abroad can share their ideas and thoughts about their experience.
Please join November 24, at 16:00 – 17:15.
Zoom link: https://lu-se.zoom.us/j/65780063878

Generously funded by the Wallenberg Foundations.

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PhD Defense: Mapping Small Water Channels Using Machine Learning
2025-12-05 08:30 - 12:00
Mariana Busarello defends her doctoral thesis “Mapping small water channels using machine learning” on December 5 at Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences.
Abstract
Boreal landscapes are shaped by a dense network of natural streams, modified streams, and ditches. Together, they regulate hydrology, nutrient transport, and ecosystem function. Historically, streams were modified to accommodate log transportation, and drainage ditches were dug to improve food and timber production. Although new ditching has mostly stopped, historical changes to the drainage network still affect forestry and water management. Small streams and ditches are the landscape’s capillaries, but they remain poorly mapped despite their vital hydrological and ecological roles. This thesis addresses this gap in knowledge by developing a novel, national-scale framework for mapping small streams and ditches using high-resolution topographic data and machine learning techniques. Combining convolutional neural networks, XGBoost classification, uncertainty quantification, and drainage analyses, this work identifies geomorphological and hydrological indices that distinguish streams from ditches across the landscape. The highest-performing model shows that integrating digital elevation models with terrain indices and machine learning delineates the channel networks successfully for ditches (recall=76%, precision=88%) and moderately for natural streams (recall=58%, precision=56%). Furthermore, the produced uncertainty maps highlight low-certainty pixels from the background that can be used to potentially improve the mapping of streams in the future. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study that can separate streams and ditches on maps across an entire nation. By providing consistent, scalable maps of small channels, this research supports restoration prioritization, sustainable forestry planning, and national reporting under EU and UN environmental frameworks. The methodology also offers a reproducible approach for characterizing coupled natural-artificial drainage systems in boreal and temperate regions worldwide.
See full thesis.
Supervisor
William Lidberg, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Opponent
Chris Soulsby, University of Aberdeen

AI and Society: Fresh Perspectives from PhD Graduates
2025-12-08 15:00 - 16:00
Welcome to second webinar in the AI and Society: Fresh Perspectives form PhD Graduates series! Join us as newly minted PhD students from WASP-HS Graduate School discuss their insights into the implications and entanglements of AI for society and humanity in a series of lightning talks.
Program
“Conflicting Aims of Welfare Technology” Maria Arnelid, Linköping University
“The End of a Platform Exeptionalism”Silvia A Caretta, Copenhagen Business School / Women in AI
“How to Build Nice Robots”Jakob Stenseke, Lund University
“Transparency in Trustworthy AI”Kasia Söderlund, Lund University
Registration
Register by 7 December to receive a zoom link.
Register here.

AI Futures: Navigating Ethics, Law, and Heritage
2025-12-16 13:15 - 15:00
Please note that this event is independently organized by a WASP-HS researcher and not the WASP-HS Program Office.
Can AI models be lawfully and ethically trained on copyrighted and cultural heritage–protected materials? This question has become one of the most pressing and contested issues in Sweden’s AI and cultural policy landscape. Recent debates between rights-holder organizations and public institutions have highlighted tensions around copyright, lawful access, and the future of generative AI.
This roundtable, hosted by WASP-HS Research Cluster AI Futures of Culture and Memory, WASP-HS Research Cluster The Rule of AI, the Swedish Research Council Research Environment VOICE and the Swedish Research Council Excellence Network in Ground Breaking Technologies Culture Code at Uppsala University, brings together experts from law, technology, cultural heritage, and creative sectors to foster an informed and respectful dialogue beyond polarized public discourse.
When & where: 16 December 2025, 13:15–15:00, Online event
Type: Workshop
Organiser: WASP-HS Research Cluster AI Futures of Culture and Memory, the Swedish Research Council Research Environment VOICE and the Swedish Research Council Excellence Network in Ground Breaking Technologies Culture Code at Uppsala University
Contact person: Kailin Hatlestad
Invited Speakers
– Jens Västberg – Chief Legal Officer, Riksarkivet (Swedish National Archives)– Love Börjesson – Head of KB Lab, National Library of Sweden– Josefine Engström – Chair, Svenska Tecknare (The association of Swedish illustrators and graphic designers) & Vice Chair KLYS (Swedish Joint Committee for Artistic and Literary Professionals)– Marijn Storm – Partner at Morrison Foerster, involved in GPT-NL development
Each speaker will provide a 5-minute perspective with one slide, introducing themselves and sharing their thoughts on opportunities and challenges related to AI training on cultural heritage data.
Who Should Attend?
Researchers, policymakers, cultural heritage professionals, rights-holder organizations, and anyone interested in the intersection of AI, law, and culture.
Organized by:
– Anna Foka, Professor of Digital Humanities, Uppsala University– Katja de Vries, Associate Professor in Public Law, Uppsala University
Registration
To participate is free of charge. Register here!

Knowledge Exchange: Algorithm Watch
2026-01-12 16:30 - 17:30
We welcome all WASP-HS researhers to exchange knowledge about political aspects of algorithms together with Oliver Marsh from Algorithm Watch, Berlin. The goal of the one hour workshop is to explore strategies to manage the increasingly algorithm-driven society.
Speaker
Oliver Marsh, Head of Tech Research at Algorithm Watch
About Algoritm Watch
Algorithm Watch is a non-governmental, non-profit organization based in Berlin and Zurich. We fight for a world where algorithms and Artificial Intelligence (AI) do not weaken justice, human rights, democracy, and sustainability but strengthen them.
Read more.
Registration
Do you want to join the webinar? Send an email to graduate.school@wasp-hs.org for the link!

PhD Defense: Life and AI at NASA: An Ethnography of How Scientists and Engineers Make Tools to Explore Other Worlds
2026-01-30 13:15 - 17:00 | Chalmers University of Technology
Alicja Ostrowska defends her PhD thesis, “Life and AI at NASA: An Ethnography of How Scientists and Engineers Make Tools to Explore Other Worlds” on 30 January at Chalmers University of Technology.
See event page.
Abstract
Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly introduced into scientific practices, including NASA’s missions that explore conditions for life and habitability on other planets and moons. How does the development of new AI tools within these missions transform scientific knowledge production?
Drawing on theories from Science and Technology Studies (STS), this dissertation analyzes science as a cultural practice. It is based on ethnographic research conducted at NASA and within the wider community of planetary scientists and astrobiologists, including interviews and documentary materials.
The dissertation demonstrates how efforts to realize visions of autonomous science beyond Earth already reshape the everyday work of scientists on the ground. It shows how AI is shaped by organizational structures, knowledge infrastructures, and scientific cultures at NASA, while simultaneously feeding back into these dimensions. Boundary work to sustain the legitimacy of planetary missions influences the purposes for which AI can be developed – to identify organic molecules, to explore habitability and potential biosignatures.
The study further shows how field sites, laboratories, and national databases together constitute a knowledge infrastructure that shapes AI by determining which data are available for training. Choices of field sites are influenced by accessibility and symbolic value, rendering some places more popular than others, which skews knowledge production. Digital databases and AI training datasets serve as libraries of knowns against which the unknown is identified. Decisions about anomalies, artifacts, and novelty in data are central to both AI design and scientific discovery. The study highlights the limits of performance metrics and the importance of negotiations with domain experts, particularly in the emerging use of synthetic data.
Although AI remains at an early stage of development in the cases studied, it already reshapes power relations in scientific knowledge production by introducing new ideals of epistemic order and altering who determines the value and usability of data.
By providing an empirical account of AI development in one of the most impactful scientific institutions, this dissertation contributes to discussions about data-driven solutions in science, and the epistemic consequences of using AI in science on Earth and beyond.
See full thesis.
Supervisor
Francis Lee, main supervisor
Shai Mulinari, co-supervisor
Opponent
Marisa Cohn, IT University of Copenhagen, Denmark

Winter Conference 2026
2026-02-04 09:00 - 2026-02-06 12:00
About

Exchange

Posters

Workshops

Program

Registration

The WASP-HS Winter Conference 2026 will be in LUX, the Joint Faculties for Humanities and Theology, at Lund University 4-6 February. It will be filled with workshops, poster presentations, and interactive discussions, with ample opportunity for networking.
Please join us and contribute to the conversation!

WASP-HS Annual Exchange
Encountering DigitalizationWhat happens when interactions are automated and digital agents intervene? Welcome to this year’s WASP-HS Annual Exchange — a dynamic conversation on human-centred digitalization with Prof. Brit Ross Winthereik, Dr. Kash Haresamudram, Dr. Charlotte Högberg and Dr. Malin Heintz.

Speakers

Brit Ross Wintereik

Professor, Dept of Technology, Management and Economics, Technical University of Denmark

Kashyap Haresamudram

PhD in Technology and Society, Lund University

Charlotte Högberg

PhD in Technology and Society, Lund University

Malin Heintz

PhD in Economics, Arbetsförmedlingen

Poster sessions for all
Come and see the most recent PhD project results and give your feedback and contribute with your insights.
Please download and use the poster template for the poster session.Download poster template (.pptx)

Workshops
Open for WASP-HS PhD students:
Bias and Prejudices in AI Training DataModerator: Sarah de Heer
Smashing the Cloud with a Hammer: Exploring AI Through RejectionModerator: Martin Lindstam
History a la ChatGPTModerator: Johannes Widegren, Nasrin Mostofian and Mo von Bychelberg
AI experts meet AI narratives on BlueskyModerator: Igor Ryazanov
Open for all WASP-HS researchers:
AI in Higher Education – limitations and risks

Program

Wednesday, February 4
09:00—11:30Workshop: AI in Higher EducationC214, and breakout rooms:C213C212 (the Staff canteen)
Workshop: Smashing the Cloud with a HammerB352
11:30—13:00Lunch and Poster PresentationsOutside of Lux Auditorium
13:00—15:00WASP-HS Annual ExchangeLUX Auditorium
15:00—15:20CoffeeOutside Lux Auditorium
15:20—18:00How to Write a PostDoc ApplicationC214
15:20—18:00Posters that Don’t Suck: From Awkward to Awesome!B336
18:00—18:30PhD student council meetingB336
19:00Conference dinner PhD certificate ceremonyForum Medicum, Sölvegatan 19

Thursday, February 5
10:00—12:00Poster sessions by WASP-HS PhD students
12:00—13:00Lunch
13:00—15:00Supervisor meetingLUX C214
13:00—16:00Workshop: Bias and Prejudices in AI Training DataB240
Workshop: History a la ChatGPTB352
Workshop: AI Experts Meet AI Narratives on BlueskyB339 CANCELLED
18:00Pool for PhD studentsParadis Biljard

Friday, February 6
9:30—12:30Oral presentations by PhD studentsLUX Auditorium
Click here for abstracts
09.30: Welcome and introduction by Ericka Johnson, WASP-HS Graduate School Director
09.35 Johannes Widegren: Archives +Sapmi = AI?
10.05 Nicolas A. de Pieuchon: Countering Bias in AI Methods for Text Data
10.35 Coffee
11.00 Ziming Wang: A Meat-Summer Night’s Dream: A Tangible Design Fiction Exploration of Eating Biohybrid Flying Robots
11.30 Laetitia Tanqueray: Reframing Robots for Care: Situating Informal Caregivers in the Development of Social Robots
12.00 Sarah de Heer: When Algorithms Shape Care: AI-Driven Medical Device, Precision Medicine and Quality under the Right to Health

Registration
Registration is closed

Research Opportunities at the Intersection of Society, Life Sciences, and Technology
2026-05-07 09:00 - 2026-05-08 12:00
A Joint Conference between DDLS, WASP and WASP-HS
Uniting Sweden’s life science, machine learning and artificial intelligence communities, we welcome researchers from all disciplines to explore new research opportunities in a changing world.
Participants will have the opportunity to network, be inspired by excellent international keynote speakers, and take part in the latest research in Sweden. In addition to plenary keynotes, the program will offer a panel discussion, a poster session and ample time to mingle.
Practical Details
DatesMay 7-8, 2026
VenueUppsala Konsert & Kongress

Preliminary Conference Program

Thursday, May 7
09.00 Registration opens (coffee) + poster hanging
10.00 Opening Remarks:Program Directors from the three Research Programs
Keynote Maja Fjaestad
Parallel Workshops, Session 1
Lunch
Keynote Olli Kallioniemi
Panel: Initiatives in the Nordics
Parallel Workshops, Session 2
Mingle food and Poster Session

Friday, May 8
08:30 Parallel Workshops, Sessions 3
Keynote “”Perception, Action, Intercation in Physical AI systems””Danica Kragic, Professor at the School of Computer Science and Communication at the Royal Institute of Technology, KTH
Coffee
Flash Talks: Funded Projects NEST & RIG
Closing remarks, lunch to go

Registration
Registration opens March 16.

Keynotes

Maja Fjaestad

Strategic Advisor to the Executive Leadership at Karolinska Institutet,Adjunct Professor at Luleå University of Technology

Olli Kallioniemi

Danica Kragic

Professor at the School of Computer Science and Communication at the Royal Institute of Technology, KTH

Background
Wallenberg AI, Autonomous Systems and Software Program (WASP), the SciLifeLab and Wallenberg National Program for Data-Driven Life Science (DDLS), and Wallenberg AI, Autonomous Systems and Software Program – Humanity and Society (WASP-HS) are collaborating through joint research projects and events with the ultimate goal of solving ground-breaking research questions across disciplines.

Summer School 2026 on AI, Power and Politics
2026-08-17 13:00 - 2026-08-21 12:00
Photo: Mattias Pettersson

About the Event
Join us for the WASP-HS Summer School, 17–21 August, at Umeå University. This year’s theme is AI, Power and Politics.
The Summer School brings together PhD students for an inspiring week in Umeå. The programme will be published soon and will include further details on lectures, workshops and other sessions, alongside practical information and registration.
We look forward to welcoming you to Umeå!

AI for Humanity and Society 2026
2026-11-10 12:00 - 2026-11-11 12:15 | Stångs Mjärdevi, Linköping Science Park, Teknikringen 7, Linköping, Sweden
About

Keynotes

Program

Registration

More

Robots and Autonomous Systems in Everyday Life

How can we live amidst and with robots? How do they impact human work and our understanding of social relationships and societal values? Complex organizational work is needed to make robot fleets run smoothly and bring forward societal concerns about care, safety and responsibility. Join the WASP-HS conference AI for Humanity and Society 2026 themed “Robots and Autonomous Systems in Everyday Life”.

Robots and autonomous systems have left the laboratories and are now entering homes, schools, hospitals and public spaces. They are becoming part of everyday life. Being a material and mobile manifestation of artificial intelligence, robots raise new questions about autonomy and agency in relationships with individuals.
This year’s conference, Robots and Autonomous Systems in Everyday Life, will explore how individuals, organizations, and societies are impacted when robots enter our daily life, shedding light on how humans work to make autonomous systems at home in the world. WASP-HS welcomes researchers, industry leaders, policymakers, and civil society to come together to make sense of emerging developments and to discuss agendas for humane futures with autonomous systems and AI. Through panels, keynotes and an interactive reception, we will engage with topics such as coordination and interaction with robots as a form of embodied AI, robots in education, regulatory and policy issues related to autonomous systems, as well as the roles robots and autonomous systems may play in care and crisis.
The WASP-HS AI for Humanity and Society 2026 conference fosters human-centered perspectives on robots and autonomous systems, offering a space to examine emerging challenges and to jointly imagine possible futures — where robots and autonomous systems can foster human relationships, contribute to inclusive public spaces, and stimulate meaningful work. We warmly welcome you to join us in Linköping-Mjärdevi at Linköping Science Park (Teknikringen 7) on November 10–11, 2026.

Keynotes

Steve Benford

Dunford Professor of Computer Science, University of Nottingham And UKRI Turing AI World Leading Research Fellow

Janet Vertesi

Associate Professor, Princeton University and Associate Director of the Keller Center for Innovation in Engineering Education

Preliminary Conference Program
Conference program may be subject to change.

Tuesday, November 10
12:00 Registration opens
13:00–13:15 Welcome and introduction
13:15–14:00 Panel 1: Coordinating human and robot bodies
14:15–15:00 Panel 2: Educational robots and AI
15:00–15:30 Coffee Break
15:30–16:15 Opening keynote: Steve Benford
16:30–18:30 Interactive Reception

Wednesday, November 11
08:30 Registration opens
09:00–9:15 Welcome and opening
09:15–10:00 Panel 3: Policy and regulation of robots

10:00–10:15 Coffee Break
10:30–11.15 Panel 4: Robots and AI in care and crisis

11:15-12:00 Closing keynote: Janet Vertesi
12:00-12:15 Closing and announcement of 2027 conference

Registration
Registration opens in spring 2026

Conference Chairs

Hannah Pelikan

Assistant Professor at Linköping University and a Pro Futura Scientia Fellow at the Swedish Collegium for Advanced Study

Airi Lampinen

Associate Professor in Human–Computer Interaction at the Department of Computer and Systems Sciences at Stockholm University, Sweden
