Janis Lena Meißner

Janis Lena Meißner is a post-doctoral researcher in the HCI research group at TU Wien, focusing on inclusion in digital transformation processes. She teaches courses including "Computational Aspects of Digital Fabrication" and "Free and Open Technologies," while conducting research that critically examines technology use among non-expert users and marginalized communities.

Her educational background includes a doctoral degree in Digital Civics from Open Lab at Newcastle University, an MSc in Media Informatics, and a Bachelor's degree in Media Informatics. Prior to her academic career, she worked in the IT department of an Austrian governmental institution and as a consultant for a software company.

Meißner's research centers on productive creative practices of non-expert technology users and their meaning-making processes with digital tools. She has explored sociomaterial practices of "makers-in-the-making," including people with disabilities using 3D printers for empowering hacks, charity workers creating interactive e-textile blankets, and Men Shed organizers combining traditional crafts with digital technologies. Her work challenges the "non-technical" framing of non-expert users and highlights social justice issues in digital transformation. She has particular expertise in participatory and creative research methods, examining how co-design can establish healthy researcher-participant relationships. Her recent publications reveal strong trends in inclusive maker spaces, accessibility for Deaf communities, hidden technological labor in female-dominated professions, and feminist approaches to human-computer interaction.

As a co-founding member of fempower.tech, she actively promotes feminist perspectives in HCI. Her work bridges academic research with practical applications in digital inclusion, particularly through projects exploring hidden technological labor of service workers and telemonitoring in healthcare contexts.