Niklas Petersen

Niklas Petersen is a Research Fellow in the Department for Medical Ethics and History of Medicine at the University Medical Center Göttingen (University of Göttingen), specializing in critical sociological analyses of dementia care, prevention ethics, and aging discourses within healthcare systems.

His academic credentials include:

• PhD in Social Science (ongoing, 2019–present) at the University of Göttingen, funded by the German Academic Scholarship Foundation; dissertation: "Practices of (De-)Activation. Sociological Perspectives on Care and Treatment of Dementia in German Nursing Homes"
• MA in Sociology (2013–2017) from the University of Jena, with a visiting period at the University of Toronto
• BA in Sociology (2009–2013) from the University of Göttingen

Petersen's research interrogates the tensions between individual autonomy and institutional demands in dementia care, examining how discourses of "activation," responsibility, and moral framing shape professional practices and policy. His work critically analyzes the paradoxes of self-determination in late-modern care environments and the ethical implications of emerging prevention technologies, emphasizing situated contexts over universal solutions.

His publication trajectory (2015–2024) reveals a methodological consistency in qualitative approaches while shifting focus from labor sociology to medical ethics. Recent works demonstrate interdisciplinary engagement with medical anthropology and gerontology, highlighting recurring themes of ambiguous optimism in technological interventions, the situatedness of dementia prevention, and the negotiation of dignity within cost-constrained care systems.

No formal scientific awards are documented, though his doctoral research received significant support from the German Academic Scholarship Foundation (2019–2024). Petersen has not listed formal advisees but contributes to collaborative projects like the BEAD Study on dementia prevention ethics, reflecting grant-supported interdisciplinary work.

He maintains active involvement in international research networks through affiliations with McGill University, Université de Montréal, and the University of Ottawa, and has organized key conferences including "Pflege-Krise trifft Corona-Krise" (2021), demonstrating leadership in addressing systemic challenges in elder care during crises.