Gregor Wolbring

Gregor Wolbring is a Full Professor at the University of Calgary's Faculty of Medicine, within the Community Rehabilitation and Disability Studies Program. He holds concurrent positions as a Fellow at the University of Ottawa's Institute for Science, Society and Policy, a Visiting Professor at the American University of Sovereign Nations, and a Permanent Fellow at the Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis (ITAS) in Karlsruhe. His academic journey includes a biochemistry degree from the University of Tübingen and University College London (1982-1989), a doctorate from the University of Frankfurt am Main and the Max Planck Institute of Biophysics (1989-1992), and postdoctoral work at the University of Calgary (1992-1998).

Wolbring's research is profoundly interdisciplinary, anchored in Ability Expectation and Ableism Studies (Ability Studies) and Disability Studies. His core interests encompass:

• Technology Assessment & Governance: Social robotics, brain-machine interfaces, nanotechnology, synthetic biology, AI, and human enhancement.
• Social Justice & Inclusion: Equity, diversity, inclusion (EDI), accessibility, environmental justice (eco-ableism), global health disparities, and human security (food, water, skills).
• Sustainability & Policy: Climate change, energy policy, water security, and the social dimensions of sustainability.
• Health & Ethics: Bioethics, health technology assessment, aging well, peace research, and the societal implications of health discourses.

His publication record, analyzed collectively, reveals a dominant focus on societal perceptions and governance of emerging technologies (especially assistive tech, AI, neuro-enhancement), critical analyses of media representations concerning disability, aging, health, and global issues, and the development of conceptual frameworks like 'Ability Studies' and 'Eco-ableism'. Methodologically, he frequently employs scoping reviews, content analysis of media/public discourse, and qualitative exploration of lived experiences, consistently applying an equity, justice, and disability rights lens.

Wolbring has received significant recognition, including the 2022 University of Calgary Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Award, the 2017 Tanis Doe Award from the Canadian Disability Studies Association, the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal (2013), multiple BHSc Research Mentor Awards, and nominations for graduate supervision awards. He mentors the interdisciplinary undergraduate research team WolbPack, fostering collaborative scholarship on disability, technology, and social justice.

He leads the research group 'Health and the Technization of Life' at ITAS and the 'WolbPack' in Calgary. His work emphasizes building student capacity as 'community scholars' and addresses critical gaps in understanding the intersectional realities of disabled people facing environmental crises and technological change.