Vlog

FISCHER Björn

Assistant Professor

Science and Technology Studies

WEBSITE
OFFICE
1.602.13
CONTACT
+65 6499 6652
RESEARCH AREAS
Social Sciences

Biography

Björn Fischer is Assistant Professor of Sociology (Science and Technology Studies) at the Singapore University of Technology and Design. He previously held a postdoctoral fellowship at Lund University, Sweden, and earned his PhD in Technology and Health from the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Stockholm, Sweden, and an MSc in Innovation Sciences, awarded with distinction for outstanding achievement, from Utrecht University, The Netherlands.

Over the past ten years, Björn has advanced a research agenda that explores the dynamics of innovation processes, digital transformation, and emerging technologies in practice. His work draws on qualitative and ethnographic methods to investigate the practices of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and robotics development and their implications for future societies. Amongst others, he has contributed to and led research in large EU-funded international collaborations, which examined the societal and ethical implications of robotics, AI, and digital technologies in the contexts of , and .

Most recently, Björn has been developing the concept of an , grounded in the lived realities of humans in technologically mediated worlds, and is currently exploring how an understanding of human experiences in real-world settings can contribute to the development of experientially meaningful AI solutions in Singapore’s healthcare sector.

Research opportunities

Currently looking for: PhD students, research fellows, assistants and other collaborators.

I am happy to supervise PhD students and Master students for qualitative and/or ethnographic thesis work, including but not limited to one or several of these topics: science and technology studies (STS), social studies of technology and science, ageing, care, AI & society, market studies, sociology of health. If you are interested please contact me at bjoern_fischer@sutd.edu.sg.

Education
  • PhD Technology & Health (Social Science), KTH, Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
  • MSc Innovation Sciences, with distinction (Utrecht University, The Netherlands)
  • BSc Industrial Engineering (University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany)
Research interests
  • Science and technology studies (STS)
  • Ageing studies & Sociology of health
  • Emerging technologies & markets
  • Sociology & anthropology of technology
  • AI, robotics & society
Awards
  • 2024 Swedish Research Council Grant, competitive research project grant, ~680,000 S$
  • 2021 Nominated for Best Paper Award, Elsevier, Design Studies
  • 2018 Distinction for outstanding achievement, Utrecht University, The Netherlands
Selected key publications
  • Fischer, Björn, & Frennert, Susanne (2025) . Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 219 (October 2025), 124264
  • Fischer, Björn, Östlund, Britt, & Peine, Alexander (2024) , Journal of Aging Studies, 71(4), 1-11
  • Fischer, Björn, Peine, Alexander, & Östlund, Britt (2024). . Science, Technology, & Human Values, 49(5), 1130-1157.
  • Fischer, Björn, Britt Östlund, and Alexander Peine (2021) , Design Studies, 74, 101016.
  • Fischer, Björn, Britt Östlund, and Alexander Peine (2020) , Social Studies of Science 50 (2), 221–44.
  • Fischer, Björn, Alexander Peine, and Britt Östlund (2020). The Gerontologist 60(7), e513–e523.