Nona Schulte-Römer

Nona Schulte-Römer is a Research Fellow at WZB Berlin Social Science Center, affiliated with the President's Project Group since October 2014. Previously, she contributed to the 'Cultural Sources of Newness' research unit (2008-2009), examining intersections of innovation, urban lighting, and cultural dynamics in metropolitan contexts.

Her academic foundation includes a Master of Arts from Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (2006) and visiting research at Goldsmiths' College, University of London (2002/2003), establishing her expertise in urban sociology and cultural studies.

Schulte-Römer's research pioneers the cultural analysis of urban lighting technologies, investigating how cities like Berlin and Lyon implement LED systems through public engagement. She explores lighting's role in urban branding, nighttime economies, and professional boundary-crossing among designers, revealing how festivals and public spaces become laboratories for technological innovation. Her work bridges sociology of technology, urban planning, and cultural theory to address sustainability and democratic participation in city-making.

Publications from 2011-2015 demonstrate consistent focus on light pollution controversies, historical infrastructure transitions, and the co-evolution of artistic practices with urban lighting. Key patterns include comparative European case studies, emphasis on citizen-led innovation, and critical analysis of 'smart lighting' rhetoric through sociological lenses.

Her scientific recognition includes:

• First prize in the journalism competition of the Academy for Spatial and Regional Planning (ARL) for the 'Die Metropolregion lebt' series (2007)

Schulte-Römer leads significant projects including 'Innovative city lights: The cultural construction of LED-technology' and organized the 2010 workshop 'Urban Light Planning - Evaluation, Evidence and the New'. Her doctoral research (2011-2014) examined public LED implementation in Berlin and Lyon, while earlier work analyzed innovation at cultural festivals.

She operates within WZB's President's Project Group, collaborating with interdisciplinary teams on urban innovation, and maintains active engagement with lighting design communities through conference participation and industry event reporting.