Alan van Beek

Alan van Beek is a researcher at the University of Salzburg within the Department of German Studies. Their work bridges medieval literature analysis with modern digital humanities tools and game studies frameworks.

• Active in computational analysis of Middle High German texts
• Key contributor to the MHDBDB database development
• Interdisciplinary focus on medieval reception in digital media
• Expert in data literacy and interface design

Research interests span three major domains:

• Medieval Literature: Focusing on giants, stones, and sword names in medieval texts, analyzing cyclical narrative structures and material culture representation
• Digital Humanities: Specializing in database development, digital sustainability, and user-centered design for linguistic research
• Game Studies: Investigating medievalism in modern games and institutional requirements for establishing game science

Recent publications show a clear trend toward:

• Interdisciplinary methodologies combining literary analysis with data science
• Digital infrastructure development for medieval studies
• Critical examination of medieval themes in contemporary gaming contexts
• Exploration of material symbolism in both historical texts and modern media
• Advancing queer studies through medieval literature analysis
• Promoting digital literacy in humanities research

Their projects include:

• Users First: Optimization of user interface and crowdsourcing for medieval databases
• MHDBDB goes AI: Preparing data for AI applications in literary analysis
• MHDBDB Relaunch: Ensuring digital sustainability of the Middle High German term database

Current activities demonstrate extensive engagement with:

• Scientific website maintenance for digital humanities projects
• Conference presentations on medieval themes in games
• Editorial work for PLUS Salzburg's digital humanities initiatives
• Collaborative research with institutions like Zenodo