Christiane Heibach

Christiane Heibach is Professor for Media Aesthetics at the Institute for Information and Media, Language and Culture (I:IMSK) at the University of Regensburg, within the Faculty of Languages, Literature and Cultural Studies. She has held prominent academic positions across Germany and Switzerland, including senior researcher roles at FHNW Basel and Karlsruhe University of Arts and Design, and has served as acting professor at the University of Konstanz. She is an Associated Investigator in the Cluster of Excellence 'Matters of Activity' and was the 1st Chairwoman of the Society for Media Studies (2019–2021).

Her research centers on media epistemology, the theory and aesthetics of digital media, intermediality, sensory perception, and media ecology. She explores figurations of immediacy and atmospheric experiences in media, often intersecting with design, technology, and environmental thought. Her work critically examines how digital environments shape perception, emotion, and cognition.

The 15 most recent publications reflect a sustained engagement with immersive technologies, affective computing, climate media, and digital authorship. They reveal a trajectory moving from digital literature and hypertext toward embodied, multisensory, and environmentally embedded media experiences. Her scholarship bridges media theory, philosophy, design, and artistic research, with a strong focus on the epistemological and aesthetic implications of emerging technologies.

She has led and contributed to major research projects, including the DFG-funded 'Epistemology of Multimediality' and the SNSF project 'Designed Immediacy' on atmospheres in responsive environments. Her editorial work includes significant volumes on media authorship, materiality, and atmospheres.

Christiane Heibach has no listed scientific awards in the provided text. She has advised or supervised students, though specific names are not mentioned. Her research is supported through institutional affiliations and project funding rather than individual grants detailed here. She is currently on a research sabbatical during the summer semester of 2025.

She is affiliated with the Media Aesthetics research group at the University of Regensburg and has collaborated with interdisciplinary teams, particularly in artistic research projects involving responsive environments and sensory design. Her work often emerges from collaborative networks in media studies, design, and digital culture.