Kerstin Fischer

Kerstin Fischer is a Professor in the Department of Design, Media and Educational Science at the University of Southern Denmark (SDU), with additional affiliation to the SDU Climate Cluster. Her work bridges linguistics, cognitive science, and robotics, focusing on how humans interact with technology in social and educational contexts.

• Professor, Department of Design, Media and Educational Science, University of Southern Denmark
• Affiliated Researcher, SDU Climate Cluster
• Active in multiple EU and national research projects
• Regular contributor to top-tier human-robot interaction conferences

Her research interests lie at the intersection of language, cognition, and technology. She investigates how humans adapt communication in interaction with robots, how discourse structures shape understanding, and how social robots can be designed to support learning and inclusion. Her work integrates conversation analysis, pragmatics, construction grammar, and human-robot interaction frameworks.

The 15 most recent publications reflect a strong trend toward applied social robotics in education, healthcare, and sustainability. Themes include robot moderation in classrooms, persuasive techniques in human-robot interaction, customer behavior influence, and the role of social proof. Her research increasingly emphasizes ethical, inclusive, and climate-conscious applications of AI and robotics.

She has received several scientific awards, including:

• BEST PAPER IN APPLIED METROLOGY AWARD (2023)
• Outstanding Reviewer Recognition (2023)
• BHJ Innovation Award 2018
• Field Trip / Research Stay at Foreign Institution (2018)

Kerstin Fischer actively supervises students and leads multiple research projects. She has advised MSc theses on soft social robotics and foreign language learning. Her projects include RETRO (Regulating Trust in Human-Robot Interaction), Encouraging Moderators, AntCom (citizen humanities), and climate-related initiatives like SCC Elite-Center Solen. She also contributes to editorial boards and peer review for journals such as ACM Transactions on Human-Robot Interaction.

She is involved in several labs and research networks focused on human-robot interaction, digital education, and climate communication, often collaborating across disciplines with computer scientists, educators, and social scientists.