Kathrin Maurer

Kathrin Maurer is a Professor for Culture and Technology at the University of Southern Denmark (SDU), where she leads the Center for Culture and Technology and serves as Chair at the Danish Institute for Advanced Study (DIAS). Her interdisciplinary work bridges humanities scholarship with technological studies, focusing on how visual technologies reshape cultural understanding and human experience across historical and contemporary contexts.

Her educational background includes:

• Dr. Phil. (Habilitation) in German Studies, University of Southern Denmark (2015)
• Ph.D. in German Studies, Columbia University (2002)
• M.Phil. in German Studies, Columbia University (1998)
• M.A. in German Studies, Columbia University (1996)
• B.A. in German Studies/Philosophy, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg (1994)

Maurer's research spans multiple interconnected domains at the intersection of technology and culture. She investigates how visual technologies, particularly drone technology and machine vision, transform our understanding of war, memory, and everyday life. Her scholarship connects traditional literary and cultural history with emerging fields like digital humanities and critical technology studies, creating a unique interdisciplinary approach that bridges historical analysis with contemporary technological concerns. She examines both historical visual cultures (particularly 19th-century German visual culture) and contemporary digital environments, revealing continuities and ruptures in how societies visualize and interpret their worlds.

Her recent publications demonstrate a clear trajectory from traditional literary and cultural history toward cutting-edge analyses of digital and surveillance technologies. The most recent works reveal a strong thematic focus on drone technology, machine vision, and the aesthetics of biomachines, while maintaining connections to historical visual cultures. These publications show how she connects historical analysis of visual representation with contemporary technological developments, particularly examining how machine vision transforms our relationship to space, war, and everyday environments through critical theoretical frameworks.

Her scientific recognition includes:

• Velux Grant - Core Group Projects (2023)
• Drone Imaginaries and Communities, DFF Grant Research Project 2 (2020-2023)
• Carlsberg Foundation Fieldwork grant (2019)
• The Thrill of Drones, SDU Lighthouse Grant (2017)
• Drones and Aesthetics, DFF Research Network (2017-2022)
• President's Fellowship, Columbia University (1995-2002)

Maurer has successfully advised PhD students including Dea Schou on "Kriegsrausch: Ecstasy, Hallucination, and Lust in German Art of WW1" (2020) and Andreas Immanuel Graae on "Drone Imaginaries" (2019). She has secured substantial research funding from multiple prestigious sources including the Danish Research Council, Carlsberg Foundation, and Velux Foundation, demonstrating her ability to lead significant interdisciplinary projects. Her grant portfolio shows strategic development from historical cultural studies toward contemporary technology-focused research, with increasing emphasis on drone technology and machine vision in recent years.

As leader of the Center for Culture and Technology at SDU since 2020 and principal investigator for the ALIFE project "The Aesthetics of Biomachines and the Question of Life" (2023-2026), Maurer directs a growing research ecosystem focused on the intersection of humanities and emerging technologies. Her leadership extends to the Center for War Studies and various research networks examining war, violence, and technology. These initiatives create collaborative spaces where humanities scholars engage with technological developments through critical, historical, and ethical perspectives, positioning her at the forefront of interdisciplinary research connecting humanities with artificial intelligence, robotics, and digital surveillance technologies.