Mareike Smolka

Mareike Smolka is an Assistant Professor (tenured) at Wageningen University & Research (WUR) and a Research Fellow at RWTH Aachen University's Human Technology Center. She specializes in Science & Technology Studies (STS), responsible innovation, and empirical ethics, focusing on AI, neurosciences, and socio-technical systems. Her research examines ethical and societal dimensions of technology development through interdisciplinary collaboration and stakeholder engagement.

Education: PhD in Science & Technology Studies from Maastricht University (2022), funded by the German Academic Scholarship Foundation and the European Francisco Varela Award. She holds a University Teaching Qualification from Maastricht University and certifications in PhD supervision and reflexive monitoring.

Research Interests: Responsible innovation ecosystems, socio-technical integration, ethics of AI, and transition studies. She leads projects like the NWO Veni-funded 'Studying and enhancing how AI researchers and developers imagine socio-technical systems' and contributes to NeuroSys, a neuromorphic computing initiative. Her work bridges academia, industry, and society through methods like vision assessments and reflexive practitioner dialogues.

Publications span Journal of Responsible Innovation, Science, Technology & Human Values, and Minerva, emphasizing ethics in tech development and governance. Her awards include the Veni grant and a 2021 'Bake your research' competition win for her cookie-based research explanation.

Awards: Veni grant (2023), European Francisco Varela Award (2019), and Maastricht Young Academy prize (2021). She serves on the Centre for Unusual Collaboration's board and as an Associate Editor for Journal of Responsible Innovation.

Teaching & Mentorship: Coordinates the 'Innovation and Transformation' course at WUR. Supervises PhD students on topics like bioeconomy transitions and AI ethics. Conducts workshops on socio-technical integration, reflexive monitoring, and future literacy.

Labs/Teams: Active in the NeuroSys Cluster4Future, OnePlanet Research Center, and the Human Technology Center. Leads transdisciplinary projects like the NeuroSys Vision Assessment and Transformative Vision Assessment initiatives.