Academic Curriculum Vitae
Anna Dobrosovestnova
Institute of Visual Computing and Human-Centered
Technology
TU Wien
Argentinierstraße 8/E193-5
1040 Vienna, Austria
anna.dobrosovestnova@tuwien.ac.at
I have a multidisciplinary background in cultural studies and cognitive science, with my current work focused on human-robot interaction. Drawing on concepts and methods from science and technology studies (STS) and the philosophy of technology, I explore the socio-political, relational, and affective dimensions of robotic technology in real-world deployments. Using qualitative and ethnographic methods, I examine how robotics reshape work practices, workplace identities, and the perspectives of diverse stakeholders, emphasizing the complexity of their integration into society.
| Date | Position & Projects | Location |
|---|---|---|
| September 2021 - May 2025 |
TU Wien Prae-doc, Project
Assistant Human-Computer
Interaction group Projects: “Integrative Robot Personality Research” (DOC Fellowship); Caring Robots // Robotic Care (FWF-funded) |
Vienna, Austria |
| May - June 2024 |
Cognition & Interaction Lab
(COIN) Linköping
University Visiting Researcher |
Linköping, Sweden |
| May 2020 - July 2021 |
University of Applied
Arts Junior Researcher in the FWF-Neuromatic GameArt project |
Vienna, Austria |
| December 2018 - April 2022 |
The Austrian Institute for
Artificial Intelligence MA student in the FWF-CHARMinG project, later Research Intern |
Vienna, Austria |
| Date | Degree & Thesis | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Spring 2025 |
PhD in Computer Science,
Department of Informatics,
TU Wien Dissertation Title: “Inconsequential Encounters. Exploring Interactions with Sidewalk Robots in Public Spaces” Supervisor: Astrid Weiss Committee: Guy Hoffman, Selma Šabanović, Astrid Rosenthal-von der Pütten |
Vienna, Austria |
| November 2019 |
MSc in
Cognitive Science (Summa cum
laude) MEi:CogSci (Middle European interdisciplinary master's programme in Cognitive Science) Thesis title: “Constructivism in Educational Robotics: Interpretations and Challenges” Supervised by: Fares Kayali |
Vienna, Austria |
| August 2010 |
Mag (Cum
Laude) in Media and Culture,
Faculty of Humanities Thesis title: “From Neuro to Schizo: Fleshing out the theory of spectator” Supervised by: Alexandra Schneider |
Amsterdam, the Netherlands |
| July 2006 | BSc in Semiotics and Culture Studies, Tartu University | Tartu, Estonia |
ÖAW DOC Fellowship
September 2021 - September 2024
Master and Bachelor Thesis Projects
| Year | Thesis Title & Supervisor | Institution |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 |
Farzaneh Yegan
(Master Thesis) Title: “Design Implications on Sociality for a Public Space Service Robot: Lessons learned from the Lutzi robot” Co-supervised with Astrid Weiss |
TU Wien |
| 2022 |
Katharina
Brunnmayr
(Master Thesis) Title: “On the need of new roles: Using design fictions to develop novel use cases for care robots” Co-supervised with Astrid Weiss |
TU Wien |
| 2022 |
Tobias Johannes
Ellmauer
(Bachelor Thesis) Title: “Voice Assistant vs. Companion Robot. How does the Difference in Embodiment Affect the User Experience?” Co-supervised with Astrid Weiss |
TU Wien |
| Year | Course & Role | Institution & Credits |
|---|---|---|
| 2024W |
193.040 Responsible
Research and
Innovation Teaching format: Lectures, discussions, group activities Role: Developing course content and structure, lecturer, examiner |
TU Wien, 3 EC |
| 2022W |
193.055 User Research
Methods Teaching format: Lectures, discussions Role: Lecturer on qualitative research methods, moderator for discussion on ethics, grading qualitative research-related assignments |
TU Wien, 3 EC |
| Spring 2015 |
Storytelling for
Scientists One-day training on scientific communication Teaching format: Lecture, discussion, practical exercises Role: Developing course content, lecture, feedback to exercises |
Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), Barcelona |
| Date | Talk & Event | Location |
|---|---|---|
| August 2024 |
“Rethinking (Human)
Bodies in HRI–Embodied
Interactions Every Day” Workshop at Robophilosophy Conference 2024 |
Aarhus, Denmark (attended online) |
Associate Editor
International Conference on Social Robotics, 2024
Workshops and Special Sessions Organization
- Co-Organizer of the Workshop on Ethnography at HRI 2024
- Co-Organizer of the Dagstuhl Seminar 23371 on Roadmap for Responsible Robotics, September 2023
- Co-organizer (with Mattia Thibault) of the workshop “Semiotic inquiries and design speculations: two mindsets in dialogue”, March 2024, TU Wien
- Co-organizer of Lunchtime Lecture series - informal talks by scientists, artists, designers, and other inspiring invited guests. Hosted by the HCI Group, TU Wien. January 2024 - May 2025.
Reviewing for Journal Articles
- International Journal of Social Robotics
- ACM Transactions on Human-Robot Interaction
- AI & SOCIETY. Journal of Knowledge, Culture and Communication
- Interaction Studies
- Prometheus – Critical Studies In Innovation
- Transportation Planning and Technology
Reviewing for Conference Proceedings
- ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) 2024, 2025
- ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI) 2024, 2025
- International Conference on Social Robotics 2024
Student Volunteer
- ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI) 2023, 2022
- IEEE Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
- ACM Association for Computing Machinery
OUTREACH
| Year | Activity | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 |
Long Night of Research: “How
to tame your robot; play the
space-game with the humanoid
robot Pepper”. Space-game developed by research organizations H.A.U.S, ACIN, and OFAI. |
Vienna, Austria |
- Assistant Prof. Dr. phil. Mag. phil. Astrid Weiss: astrid.weiss@tuwien.ac.at
- Univ. Prof. Dr. Christopher Frauenberger: christopher.frauenberger@it-u.at
- Univ. Prof. Mag. Dr. Sabine T. Köszegi: sabine.koeszegi@tuwien.ac.at
- Univ. Prof. Dr. Markus F. Peschl: Franz-Markus.Peschl@univie.ac.at
Journal Articles
- J.4 Vetter, Ralf, Dobrosovestnova, Anna, Frijns, Helena Anna, Vogel, Laura, Brunnmayr, Katharina, and Frauenberger, Christopher (2024). From Care Practices to Speculative Vignettes–Design Considerations for Robots in Good Care. In: Frontiers in Robotics and AI 11:1347367. 10.3389/frobt.2024.1347367
- J.3 Dobrosovestnova, Anna, Reinboth, Tim, and Weiss, Astrid (2024). Towards an Integrative Framework for Robot Personality Research. In: J. Hum.-Robot Interact. 13(1), pp. 8:1–8:22. 10.1145/3640010
- J.2 Dobrosovestnova, Anna, Hannibal, Glenda, Reinboth, Tim. (2021). Service robots for affective labor: a sociology of labor perspective. AI & Society, 1-13. 10.1007/s00146-021-01208-x
- J.1 Trpin, Borut, Dobrosovestnova, Anna, & Götzendorfer, Sebastian J. (2020). Lying, more or less: a computer simulation study of graded lies and trust dynamics. Synthese, 1-28. 10.1007/s11229-020-02746-5
Peer-reviewed Conference Proceedings
- C.8 Dobrosovestnova, Anna, Babel, Franziska, and Pelikan, Hannah (2025). Beyond the User: Mapping Subject Positions for Robots in Public Spaces. In: 2025 20th ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction (HRI). Melbourne, Australia.
- C.7 Dobrosovestnova, Anna, Machado, Felipe, and Reinboth, Tim (2024). Digital Shadows: Exploring the Other and the I in Communication with Thanabots. In: Social Robots With AI: Prospects, Risks, and Responsible Methods. Proceedings of Robophilosophy 2024. Aarhus, Denmark: IOS Press. 10.3233/FAIA241523
- C.6 Dobrosovestnova, Anna and Vetter, Ralf (2024). Identity and Community Matter(s): Exploring Socio-cultural Dimensions of Functional Service Robots Acceptance in Public Spaces. In: 2024 33rd IEEE International Conference on Robot and Human Interactive Communication (ROMAN). IEEE, pp. 2139–2146. 10.1109/RO-MAN60168.2024.10731405
- C.5 Dobrosovestnova, Anna, Lee, Hee Rin, Ljungblad, Sara, Gamboa, Mafalda, Gosnall, Toby, and Mansouri, Masoumeh (2024). Ethnography in HRI: Embodied, Embedded, Messy and Everyday. In: Companion of the 2024 ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction. New York, NY, USA: Association for Computing Machinery, pp. 1314–1316. 10.1145/3610978.3638547
- C.4 Dobrosovestnova, Anna and Reinboth, Tim (2023). Helping-as-Work and Helping-as-Care: Mapping Ambiguities of Helping Commercial Delivery Robots. In: Social Robots in Social Institutions: Proceedings of Robophilosophy 2022. IOS Press, pp. 239–248. 10.3233/FAIA220623
- C.3 Dobrosovestnova, Anna, de Pagter, Jesse, and Weiss, Astrid (2023). Borrowing, Poking and Entangling: In Search of Shared Spaces Between Science and Technology Studies and Human-Robot Interaction. In: Companion of the 2023 ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction. New York, NY, USA: Association for Computing Machinery, pp. 21–29. 10.1145/3568294.3580033
- C.2 Dobrosovestnova, Anna, Schwaninger, Isabel, and Weiss, Astrid (2022). With a Little Help of Humans: An Exploratory Study of Delivery Robots Stuck in Snow. In: 2022 31st IEEE International Conference on Robot and Human Interactive Communication (RO-MAN). IEEE, pp. 1023–1029. 10.1109/RO-MAN53752.2022.9900588
- C.1 Hannibal, Glenda, and Dobrosovestnova, Anna (2022). Tolerating Untrustworthy Robots: Studying Human Vulnerability Experience within a Privacy Scenario for Trust in Robots. In: 2022 31st IEEE International Conference on Robot and Human Interactive Communication (RO-MAN). IEEE, pp. 821–828. 10.1109/RO-MAN53752.2022.9900830
Workshop and Poster Publications
- W.5 Dobrosovestnova, Anna and Weiss, Astrid (2024). What we Learn on the Streets: Situated Human-robot Interactions from an Industry Perspective. In: Companion of the 2024 ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction. New York, NY, USA: Association for Computing Machinery, pp. 407–411. 10.1145/3610978.3640753
- W.4 Dobrosovestnova, Anna, Vetter, Ralf, and Weiss, Astrid (2024). Attitudes towards Social Robots (ASOR): Revisiting the Scale with Four Types of Robots. In: Companion of the 2024 ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction. New York, NY, USA: Association for Computing Machinery, pp. 402–406.
- W.3 Dobrosovestnova, Anna and Meissner, Janis (2023). Care, Censorship and the Challenges of Researching Digital Work. In: 2023 ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI). Behind the Scenes of Automation: Ghostly Care-Work, Maintenance, and Interferences Workshop.
- W.2 Frijns, Helena Anna, Dobrosovestnova, Anna, Brauneis, Carina, Grabler, Reinhard, Hirschmanner, Matthias, Stoeva, Darja, Vetter, Ralf, and Vogel, Laura (2022). Transdisciplinary and Participatory Research for Robotic Care Technology - Mapping Challenges and Perspectives. In: 31st IEEE International Conference on Robot and Human Interactive Communication (RO-MAN). The First Workshop on Care Robots for Older Adults.
- W.1 Dobrosovestnova, Anna and Schwaninger, Isabel (2022). Do We Need Needy Robots? Some Open Questions about Helping Behaviors Towards Robots in Urban Spaces. In: 2022 ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction. Robots in Public Spaces Workshop. 10.1145/3610978.36405