About me

I am a certified social worker and a doctoral candidate with a focus on how older adults engage with smart technologies in their everyday lives. My research draws on qualitative, participatory, and interdisciplinary approaches that connect lived experience with technological development.

I see my role as both a hacker and an intermediator—bridging the gap between social sciences and computer science. My interests include the Internet of (Every)Thing, critical hacking, and the mediation of digitalisation issues, especially artificial intelligence and data privacy.

I was born in Chemnitz during the final months of the former GDR and am #FirstGeneration in academia. These personal roots deeply inform my commitment to inclusive, critical, and socially grounded research.

In summer 2025, the German broadcaster ZDF accompanied me as part of their series "Ich bewege was im Osten", portraying my work and everyday life as a researcher and wheelchair user at the university.▶️ Watch the report

Project activities

I am co-responsible for social and administrative aspects as well as field studies in the Simplications project, which explores how older adults engage with digitalisation in everyday contexts. You can learn more about the project at simplications.tucmi.de.

In addition, I lead the project "Erika meets ChatGPT". As part of this initiative, I ‘hacked’ an old typewriter to enable interaction with a chatbot. More than 1,200 people have already experienced this installation. The project offers a playful and reflective way to explore the possibilities and limitations of AI. It provides us as researchers with valuable insights into participants’ ideas, expectations, and concerns around artificial intelligence. At the same time, it opens up important conversations about the social implications of compressed and accelerated information and communication flows.

Current focus of the research + topics for scientific papers

My research focuses on how (smart) technologies are integrated into the everyday lives of older adults, and how digitalisation can be shaped through inclusive, participatory approaches. I am particularly interested in critical perspectives on technology and its social implications.

I welcome students who are interested in writing term papers, seminar papers, or bachelor’s and master’s theses on topics related to my expertise. Possible areas include:

• (Smart) technology in the everyday life of older people

• Hacking, free and open source software, digital and internet activism

• History of technology in the GDR – especially computing and digital culture

• Citizen science and participatory research methods

• (Digital) technology and accessibility

If any of these topics interest you—or if you have your own idea that overlaps—please feel free to get in touch. I'm happy to discuss possible research questions and formats.

Curiculum Vitae

Professional Experience

• 12/2023 – ongoing: Research Assistant -project "Simplications" - implications of simple sensors and their data in the home
• 06/2023 – ongoing : ESF funding for innovation: "Smart Technology in the Everyday Lives of Older People. A qualitative empirical study of use, attitudes and potential for support".
• 01/2023 - 11/2023 : Research Assistant /Lecturer, -project  “Data-I – Experiencing data interactions interdisciplinary” interdisciplinary teaching-learning project on IoT sensor data
• 08/2022-03/2023 Research Assistant -project "PartWiss 22 +PartWiss23 , BMBF (01PA2201B)
• 02/2023-12/2023: Project Lead of "Schlaue Technik. Tolle Helfer? as part of the Science Year 2022 
• 07/2021-08/2022: Research assistant as a substitute for the Junior Professorship of Sociology of Technology 
• 01/2021- 06/2021: project manager at WohnXperium e.V., Chemnitz in collaboration with Chemnitz University of Technology: Ambient Assisted Living technologies and PFLEX Sachsen
• 01/2019-12/2020:  Scientific project manager at Mittweida University of Applied Sciences, implementation of the inclusion sub-project -Lecturer Faculty of Social Work

Qualification

• 09/2024: "Qualitative Educational and Social Research"  Centre for Social World Research and Method Development at the Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg
• 04/ 2020: Saxon Higher Education Teaching Certification (HDS Certificate) + E-Teaching Certification (TU Dresden)
• 07/2018: Certificate from the Bavarian Elite Academy Foundation in Munich, which offers training programmes in Brussels, Hanoi, Shanghai and Beijing 
• 09/2016: Master's degree in Management of Social and Healthcare Organisations, Catholic University of Applied Sciences Munich
• 03/2015: Bachelor Bachelor's degree in Social Work, minor business administration, Mittweida University of Applied Sciences + Hogeschool Inholland Alkmaar. 

Organized Conferences, Workshops and Sessions

• 09/2025: "AAL, ePA und Co - offener, weiter, besser? Offenheit und Transparenz zwischen Smart Home und Digital Health. (SMART25)” Workshop at GI Informatikfestival 16.09.-19.09.25
• 12/2023: "From simple sensors to (un-)intended implications", workshop at Things 2023, Rotterdam, co-organisation
• 12/2023: "From (un-)intended implications for privacy to implications for design and use", workshop at Things 2023, Rotterdam, co-organisation
• 11/2023: "PartWiss: Konferenz zur Vernetzung und Stärkung von Partizipation in der Wissenschaft", part of Programme Commission (2022+2023) and co-organisation
• 11/2023: "Sensordaten in der Lehre: interaktiv und interdisziplinär", HDS workshop, Chemnitz, main organisation

Publications 

In Press

Köpferl, Karola; Kurze, Albrecht:Write Again(st) the Machine: Reanimating a GDR-Era Typewriter as a Reflective Interface for Human-AI Dialogue.In: Mensch und Computer 2025 – Workshopband. Gesellschaft für Informatik e.V. Chemnitz, 31. August – 3. September 2025. Best Demo Award.

Börner, Andy; Köpferl, Karola; Kurze, AlbrechtSee the unseen: Datenspuren smarter Technik für Verbraucher:innen sichtbar machen.In: Informatik 2025 – Workshopband. Gesellschaft für Informatik e.V. Potsdam, 16.–19. September 2025.

Köpferl, Karola; Kurze, Albrecht; Bischof, Andreas: A(I) Typewriter – Nostalgic Interface for Human-Chatbot Interaction.Accepted for: Creative AI Exploration and Imagination: Innovative Methods for Alternative Digital Futures. Leipzig, 24.–26. September 2025.

2025

Börner, Andy; Köpferl, Karola; Kurze, AlbrechtUsable Privacy im Sensor-Kit als Forschungswerkzeug für Smart-Home-Sensordaten.In: Workshop Usable Security and Privacy at Mensch und Computer 2025 – Workshopband. Gesellschaft für Informatik e.V. Chemnitz, 31. August – 3. September 2025.doi: 10.18420/muc2025-mci-ws05-349

Köpferl, Karola; Kurze, Albrecht: Friction by Design: Tangible Encounters with Large Language Models.In: Workshop Be-greifbare Interaktion at Mensch und Computer 2025 – Workshopband. Gesellschaft für Informatik e.V. Chemnitz.doi: 10.18420/muc2025-mci-ws11-222

Köpferl, Karola; Kurze, Albrecht: Machines, AI, and the Past//Future of Things.In: Smit, Iskander; Krajewski, Andrea (Hrsg.): State of Responsible Technology 2025 – Generative Things. RIOT 2025 (pp. 13–18). Stichting ThingsCon Amsterdam.doi: 10.5281/zenodo.17084154

Köpferl, Karola; Kurze, Albrecht:Ein Typenrad auf der Überholspur: Die Kult-Schreibmaschine "Erika" trifft KI.In: 18. Internationales Symposium für Informationswissenschaft (ISI 2025), Chemnitz, Deutschland. Zenodo.doi: 10.5281/zenodo.14925622

Kurze, Albrecht; Köpferl, Karola; Börner, Andy:Management von Sensordaten im Smarthome: Besonderheiten und Ansätze.In: 18. Internationales Symposium für Informationswissenschaft (ISI 2025), Chemnitz, Deutschland. Zenodo.doi: 10.5281/zenodo.14925630

 

2024

Kurze, Albrecht; Köpferl, Karola : From Simple Sensors to Complex Context: Insights for HabiTech.In: CHI24 Extended Abstracts, Workshop HabiTech. Honolulu, HI, USA, 11. Mai 2024.doi: 10.48550/arXiv.2412.06085

Köpferl, Karola; Kurze, Albrecht: Human-Chatbot Interaction: When ChatGPT meets an old Typewriter.In: Proceedings of the 21th International Conference on Culture and Computer Science (KUI '24). Florence, Italy, 3.–4. Oktober 2024. ACM, New York, NY, USA. ISBN 979-8-4007-1032-2.doi: 10.1145/3719236.371925

Köpferl, Karola; Lehmann, Tanja; Börner, Andy; Becker, Alexa; Berger, Arne; Bischof, Andreas; Kurze, Albrecht:Partizipative Ansätze in der Entwicklung smarter und privatsphärefreundlicher Technik für das Zuhause.In: Klein, Maike; Krupka, Daniel; Winter, Cornelia; Gergeleit, Martin; Martin, Ludger (Hrsg.): INFORMATIK 2024. Lock-in or log out? Wie digitale Souveränität gelingt. Lecture Notes in Informatics (LNI).doi: 10.18420/inf2024_69

Börner, Andy; Köpferl, Karola; Lehmann, Tanja; Becker, Alexa; Berger, Arne; Bischof, Andreas; Kurze, Albrecht:Ohne Big Brother und Cloud, aber nicht ohne Probleme. Fallbeispiele zu Implikationen smarter Technik mit einfachen Sensoren im Zuhause.In: INFORMATIK 2024. Lecture Notes in Informatics (LNI).doi: 10.18420/inf2024_65

Köpferl, Karola; Lehmann, Tanja; Börner, Andy; Becker, Alexa; Berger, Arne; Bischof, Andreas; Kurze, Albrecht:Ich sehe das, was Du nicht siehst: Spuren einfacher Sensordaten im smarten Zuhause erleben und reflektieren.In: Mensch und Computer 2024 – Workshopband. Gesellschaft für Informatik e.V. Karlsruhe, 1.–4. September 2024.doi: 10.18420/muc2024-mci-ws17-153

Köpferl, Karola: „Meine Oma hat nen Nachttopf mit Beleuchtung…“ Praktiken und Orientierungen älterer Menschen bei der Nutzung smarter Technik.Scientific Reports 2024, Nr. 3, Mittweida 24. Nachwuchswissenschaftlerkonferenz.doi: 10.48446/opus-15381

Bischof, Andreas; Köpferl, Karola; Haupt, Benedikt; Becker, Alexa; Pentzold, Christian; Berger, Arne: Partizipative Wissenschaftskommunikation für (zukünftige) Technologien.In: Kernebeck, S.; Fischer, F. (Hrsg.): Partizipative Technikentwicklung im Sozial- und Gesundheitswesen: Interdisziplinäre Konzepte und Methoden. Hogrefe AG, S. 161–174.

2023

Kaden, Sascha; Köpferl, Karola; Bischof, Andreas; Röhrbein, Florian: The robot should motivate: "Come on, you can still do it!" An Exploratory Pilot Study.2nd Workshop on Care Robots for Older Adults at RO-MAN 2023. croa-roman.com.

Kurze, Albrecht; Köpferl, Karola; Eibl, Maximilian: Data-I – Interactive Experience of IoT Data: A Practical Tool for IoT Sensor Data in Interdisciplinary Human-Computer Interaction Education.In: Proceedings of the 5th Annual Symposium on HCI Education (EduCHI '23). ACM, New York, NY, USA, 85–90.doi: 10.1145/3587399.3587405

Kurze, Albrecht; Köpferl, Karola; Börner, Andy: Data-I: Daten-Interaktion interdisziplinär erleben.In: HDS Sommerfest 2023.Link

Bessert-Nettelbeck, Mathilde; Bischof, Andreas; Sturm, Ulrike; Nagy, Emilia; Schraudner, Martina; Backhaus, Julia; Bruckermann, Till; Hecker, Susanne; Henke, Justus; Köpferl, Karola; … Voigt-Heucke, SilkeParticipation as a research approach in academia: a converging field.Research Ideas and Outcomes 9: doi: 10.3897/rio.9.e105155

Köpferl, Karola: Participatory Research with the Community of Older People on Using Smart Technology in Everyday Life.Eye on TAMK. International Week: Finnland, 2023.

2021

Köpferl, Karola; Naumann, KatrinSocial Entrepreneurship education – an approach to empower for Entrepreneurship and Innovation Thinking for social work students – SWES.Ankara, Türkei, 2021.

Köpferl, Karola; Naumann, KatrinSocial Entrepreneurship Education as a way to enhance students' awareness of starting a business.Eye on TAMK. International Week: Finnland, 2021.