Bettina Nissen is a Lecturer in Interaction Design and Programme Director for Design Informatics at the University of Edinburgh's School of Design within Edinburgh College of Art. Her position bridges academic teaching and research with practical applications in data-driven design. She directs the Design Informatics MA program while maintaining an active research profile through the Institute for Design Informatics. Dr. Nissen's research interests focus on making complex technological concepts accessible through tangible means. Her expertise spans Research through Design , Data Physicalisation , Digital Fabrication , and Designing with Data . She explores how physical representations of data can enhance understanding and engagement with complex systems, particularly in contexts of trust, consent, and economic value. Her recent publications reveal a strong trajectory toward community-centered approaches to data governance and indigenous knowledge systems. The work shows increasing engagement with decolonial design methodologies, more-than-human interactions, and feminist economic perspectives on technology. A notable pattern emerges in her focus on tangible interfaces for abstract concepts like blockchain, trust, and value systems. Best paper award at CHI 2024 for "Cosmovision of data: An indigenous approach to technologies for self-determination" Dr. Nissen currently supervises three PhD students (Yifei Li, Carlos Guerrero Millan, and Yixun Li) and has secured funding from multiple prestigious sources including AHRC, EPSRC, ESRC, and EU programs. Her research projects include PACTMAN (EPSRC-funded work on trust in pervasive environments), After Money (ESRC-funded collaboration with Royal Bank of Scotland), Crypto-Knitting with People's Bank of Govanhill, DCODE (EU-funded network), REPHRAIN research center, and the VisHub visualization laboratory. She actively participates in interdisciplinary research communities through the Visual+Interactive Data group and the Regulation and Design (RAD) Lab, fostering collaborations between design, technology, and policy domains.







