Clemens Apprich

Clemens Apprich is Professor of Media Theory and History and head of the Department of Media Theory as well as the Peter Weibel Research Institute for Digital Cultures at the University of Applied Arts Vienna. He also serves as Vice-rector for Research and Digitality at the institution. Previously, he was assistant professor in media studies at the University of Groningen (2020-2021), visiting research fellow at Concordia University in Montréal (2018-2019), and guest professor at Leuphana University of Lüneburg (2017-2018).

Apprich received his education in philosophy, political science, cultural history and theory across multiple institutions in Berlin, Bordeaux, and Vienna. His academic journey began with research associate work at the Centre for Digital Cultures at Leuphana University of Lüneburg in 2011.

His research focuses on the intersection of media theory, digital cultures, and artificial intelligence, with particular emphasis on filter algorithms, machine learning methods, and their societal implications. Apprich examines how algorithmic systems shape contemporary culture, knowledge production, and political subjectivity. His work bridges theoretical cybernetics with critical cultural analysis, exploring how digital infrastructures transform human experience and social organization. He investigates the historical genealogy of network cultures while simultaneously engaging with emerging AI technologies and their ethical dimensions.

Apprich's publications reveal a consistent trajectory examining how digital technologies reshape cultural production, political engagement, and epistemological frameworks. His work spans from early analyses of network societies to contemporary critiques of artificial intelligence, showing particular interest in the psychological, political, and philosophical dimensions of algorithmic systems. His approach combines historical media analysis with forward-looking critical theory.

• Prix Ars Electronica (2025)
• Leuphana Research Award

Apprich serves as chair of Open Science Austria (OSA) and is a member of the delegate assembly of the Austrian Science Fund (FWF). He is an affiliated faculty member of the Digital Democracies Institute at Simon Fraser University. As Vice-rector for Research and Digitality, he oversees significant research initiatives at the University of Applied Arts Vienna. He regularly reviews for major academic journals and research foundations including DFG, SNF, Big Data & Society, and New Media & Society.

Apprich leads the Peter Weibel Research Institute for Digital Cultures, which serves as a hub for critical digital humanities research, bringing together scholars examining the cultural, political, and philosophical dimensions of digital technologies. The institute fosters interdisciplinary collaborations between media theorists, artists, computer scientists, and social scientists.