J.B. van Grunsven

J.B. van Grunsven is a researcher at Delft University of Technology, affiliated with the Technology, Policy and Management school and the Ethics & Philosophy of Technology department. Their work focuses on interdisciplinary research at the intersection of ethics, engineering, and societal impacts of technology. They are a core member of the Delft Design for Values Institute and actively contribute to the ESDIT project exploring the ethics of socially disruptive technologies.

Key research interests include engineering ethics education, critical disability studies in technology, value-sensitive design, and the ethical implications of sociotechnical systems like social media and robotics. Their work often employs enactivism and embodied cognition frameworks to address normative challenges in technology development.

Recent publications (2024-2025) highlight themes such as ethical frameworks for robotic care systems, value conflicts in smart home technologies, and the societal risks of digital phenomena like cancel culture. These studies emphasize practical applications of ethical theory in engineering and design contexts.

• Received the prize for best short paper at SEFI 2020 for innovative approaches to ethics education
• Co-awarded the VENI beurs in 2022 for research excellence

Active in both academic publishing and public engagement, van Grunsven has delivered keynote presentations on topics ranging from neurodiversity's implications for cognition models to the ethical design of sex robots. They also contribute to journal peer-review processes, demonstrating leadership in scholarly governance.

Current projects include leading aspects of the decade-long ESDIT initiative, which investigates ethical challenges posed by emerging technologies such as AI, biotechnology, and autonomous systems. This project fosters international collaboration across engineering, philosophy, and social science disciplines.