Sandra Groll

Dr. Sandra Groll is a Hamburg-based design researcher and systems theorist affiliated with multiple academic institutions globally. She holds a doctorate from Hochschule für Gestaltung (HfG) Offenbach, where her thesis explored the social function of design through systems theory. Currently, she teaches part-time at institutions including Zhejiang Wanli University (China), DesignFactory Hamburg, Northwestern Polytechnical University (China), FH-Potsdam (Germany), and Brand University (Germany), covering courses in Design Psychology, Sustainability, Design Theory, and Societal Impacts of Technology.

Her research critically examines design's role in societal structures, with emphasis on:

• Design Theory & Systems Thinking: Analyzing design as a social communication medium shaped by cultural evolution.
• Digital Transformation: Investigating AI, interfaces, and digital culture’s impact on human behavior.
• Sociopolitical Dimensions: Exploring dystopian aesthetics, relational design, and ethics in technology.

Groll's publications (2016–2023) reveal a consistent focus on design’s intersection with societal crises, digital modernity, and cultural critique. Her work employs systems theory to deconstruct design’s function in mediating social complexity, with recurring themes of contingency, relationality, and ethical responsibility.

She participates in editorial boards (BIRD – Board Of International Research In Design) and international conferences, such as the Luhmann Conference in Dubrovnik, where she presented systemic approaches to ecological design. No awards or grants are documented in available sources.

Groll collaborates with interdisciplinary teams, including the Hamburg Institute for Advanced Studies (HIAS), focusing on relational design practices. Her future work addresses "design's contribution to a society of crisis," emphasizing adaptive methodologies for complex global challenges.