Angelika H. Mader

Angelika H. Mader is an Associate Professor at the University of Twente, holding dual appointments at the Digital Society Institute and within the Human Media Interaction research group. Her work bridges computer science, design, and human factors with a focus on embodied interaction technologies and educational innovation.

Her research centers on Haptics and Human-Computer Interaction, specializing in Social Touch systems, textile-based actuators, and pressure perception thresholds. She investigates emotional and sensory qualities of mediated touch while contributing to programming education through automated assessment tools. Her interdisciplinary approach integrates computer science, psychology, and design to develop novel user experiences for social and educational contexts.

Recent publications (2023-2025) reveal a concentrated focus on haptic interfaces for social interaction, including textile actuators for pressure feedback, spatiotemporal touch illusions, and systems for social breath awareness. Her programming education work addresses automated assessment for learning-by-doing, demonstrating a clear trend toward embodied interaction in health, education, and collaborative environments.

Professional recognition includes:

• Best Practices in Education Award (2018)

She has supervised 3 students and maintains active research through dataset contributions on psychophysics and social touch. Her work shows consistent funding through collaborative projects evidenced by 6 public datasets and high-impact publications.

As a core member of the Human Media Interaction group, she contributes to multimodal interaction research while advancing the Digital Society Institute's mission of addressing societal challenges through digital innovation. Her cross-disciplinary collaborations span engineering, psychology, and design teams focused on tactile communication systems.