Workshop Organizers

Robert B. Markum is a PhD Candidate at the University of Michigan School of Information. His previous work in this area examines the effects of digital technology use on meditative and contemplative practices and transcendent experiences. His work focuses on how religious/spiritual, poetic/artistic, and ecological/philosophical values and practices influence the perception and use of interactive technologies and provide guidance on how we might live better in a technological world. Robert was a co-organizer of the CHI 2022 workshop Integrating Religion, Faith, and Spirituality in HCI and the NordiCHI 2023 workshop Co-imagining Participatory Design in Religious and Spiritual Contexts.

Sara Wolf is a PhD Candidate at the Chair of Psychological Ergonomics at the University of Würzburg. Her research lies at the intersection of faith, religion, and technology, and she currently works on understanding and designing for technology-mediated (religious) rituals together with those affected. Sara is intrigued by participatory, interdisciplinary, and experience-centered research. Her previous work includes research on  participatory design, (decision) support tools for anesthesiologists, multimodal interaction in VR, and human fundamental needs. Sara was a participant in the CHI 2022 workshop Integrating Religion, Faith, and Spirituality in HCI and co-organizer of the NordiCHI 2023 workshop Co-imagining Participatory Design in Religious and Spiritual Contexts.

Michael Hoefer is a PhD student studying computer science and cognitive science at the University of Colorado Boulder. His research focuses on developing personal informatics systems to support eudaimonic well-being in daily life, with specific applications in sustainability, mental health, and dreaming. He participated in the CHI 2022 workshop Integrating Religion, Faith, and Spirituality in HCI.

Franzisca Maas is a PhD Candidate at the Chair of Psychological Ergonomics at the University of Würzburg. She holds degrees in Psychology and Human-Computer-Systems. Franzisca works with a local neighbourhood to investigate how local civic participation tools can be designed to support citizens’ needs and how they can be involved in creating suitable technology. She was co-organizer of workshops on participatory and socially responsible technology development and participated in the NordiCHI 2023 workshop Co-imagining Participatory Design in Religious and Spiritual Contexts.