Dr. Sylvia Kühne

Research Associate at the Chair of Protestant Theology

CV

• Since April 2025, Research Associate at the AI ​​Ethics Research Hub at the Helmut Schmidt University/University of the Federal Armed Forces Hamburg (HSU/UniBwH).
• 2023-2024, Head of the “BioUse – Usability Analyses” project (RWTH Aachen University, Federal Office for Information Security, Bonn-Rheinsieg University of Applied Sciences).
• 2021-2024 Research Associate at the Institute of Sociology, Department of Technology and Diversity, RWTH Aachen University, in the DFG-funded research project “Socio-Technical Systems of Anticipatory Truth Verification in the Field of Airport Security” (Project Leaders: Prof. Torsten Voigt, Dr. Bettina Paul)
• 2019-2020 Research Associate in the DSF-funded project “Algorithms and Artificial Intelligence as Game Changers? Modern Weapon Systems Between Expectation and Reality” at the Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy at the University of Hamburg (Project Leader: Dr. Christian Alwardt)
• 2016-2019 Research Associate at the Institute for Social Work and Social Policy, University of Essen, in the DFG-funded project „Vergleichende Replikationsstudie: Die sanften Kontrolleure“ (Project Leader: Prof. Jan Wehrheim)
• 2011-2015 Research Assistent at the Institute for Criminological Social Research, University of Hamburg, among others in the DFG-funded project „‚Biometrie als ‚soft surveillance‘. Zur Akzeptanz von Fingerabdrücken im Alltag” (Project leaders: Prof. Susanne Krasmann, Prof. Fritz Sack).
  
• 2018 Doctorate in Criminology from the University of Hamburg
• 2009 Master of Arts in International Criminology from the University of Hamburg
• 2006 Diploma in Sociology from the Free University of Berlin

Publications

• Gut Feelings and Algorithms. Searching for Harmful Intentions in Airport Security Processes. In: Engaging Science, Technology, and Society 10(3) 2024 (Co-author: Bettina Paul): DOI: 10.17351/ests2023.2337
• “I Don’t Know If It wanted Me to Dance.” On Leading and Being Led in Human-eGate Interaction. Tecnoscienza. In: Italian Journal of Science and Technology Studies 14(2). 2024 (Co-author: Bettina Paul) DOI:10.6092/issn.2038-3460/17902
• Algorithmen und Künstliche Intelligenz als Game Changer? Moderne Waffensysteme zwischen Erwartung und Wirklichkeit. [Algorithms and Artificial Intelligence as Game Changers?
• Modern weapon systems between expectation and reality.] Research Report DSF. 2023 (Co-author: Christian Alwardt) https://ifsh.de/file/research/project_documents/DSF-56-Alwardt_online.pdf
• “Die sanften Kontrolleure” revisited. Eine vergleichende Replikationsstudie. [“The Soft Controllers” revisited. A comparative replication study.] In: Sanfte Kontrolle? Devianz, Etikettierung und Soziale Arbeit: 1975 und 2020. [Soft Control? Deviance, Labeling, and Social Work: 1975 and 2020.] Ed. by Jan Wehrheim. Beltz-Juventa 2021: 123–296 (Co-author: Christina Schlepper).
• Das Versprechen von Künstlicher Intelligenz: Erste Ergebnisse einer Untersuchung zu Erwartungen an moderne Waffensysteme. [The promise of artificial intelligence: First results of a study on expectations of modern weapons systems.] IFSH Research Report 003. 2020. Hamburg. DOI: 10.25592/ifsh-research-report-003
• “Meine Aufgabe ist, einen Bericht zu schreiben.”: “Die sanften Kontrolleure” und ihre Dokumente. [“My job is to write a report.”: “The soft controllers” and their documents.] In: Soziale Probleme 30(2) 2020: 145–168 (Co-author: Christina Schlepper). DOI: 10.1007/s41059-019-00063-9.
• Editorial. Soziale Arbeit und soziale Kontrolle. [Editorial: Social Work and Social Control.] In: Kriminologisches Journal 51(1) Schwerpunktheft Soziale Arbeit und Soziale Kontrolle. [Special issue on social work and social control.] 2019: 3–6 (Co-authors: Christina Schlepper und Jan Wehrheim)
• Wie Sozialarbeiter_innen Devianz zuschreiben. Eine diachrone Analyse von Praktiken des legal reasoning in der Jugendgerichtshilfe. [How social workers attribute deviance: A diachronic analysis of legal reasoning practices in youth justice services.] In: Kriminologisches Journal 51(1) Schwerpunktheft Soziale Arbeit und Soziale Kontrolle. [Special issue on social work and social control.] 2019: 30–51 (Co-author: Christina Schlepper). DIO:10.3262/KJ1901030
• Sanfte Überwachung? Eine Untersuchung zur Akzeptanz von digitalen Fingerabdrucktechnologien im Alltag. [Soft surveillance? A study on the acceptance of digital fingerprinting technologies in everyday life..] Dissertation Hamburg. 2018. https://ediss.sub.uni-hamburg.de/handle/ediss/8356
• Zur Politik der Sicherheitsversprechen. Die biometrische Verheißung. [On the politics of security promises: The biometric promise.] In: Der Staat und die Sicherheitsgesellschaft. [The State and the Security Society.] Ed. by Jens Puschke and Tobias Singelnstein. Wiesbaden: Springer: 79–99. 2018 (Co-author: Christina Schlepper). DOI: 10.1007/978-3-658-19301_4
• “Die sanften Kontrolleure” (Helge Peters und Helga Cremer-Schäfer 1975) revisited. [“The Soft Controllers” (Helge Peters and Helga Cremer-Schäfer 1975) revisited.] In: Soziale Passagen 2: 329–344. 2017 (Co-author: Christina Schlepper). DOI:10.1007/s12592-017-0271-4
• Gambling with the “gift”? On the relationship between security technologies, trust and distrust. In: Behemoth. A Journal of Civilisation 8(1). 2015. Special issue Trust in Times of (In-)Security. On the Relationship between the Phenomena of Security and Trust. Ed. by Benjamin Rampp and Martin Endreß. DOI:10.6094/behemoth.2015.8.1.851
• Die gesellschaftliche Konstruktion von Sicherheit. Zur medialen Vermittlung und Wahrnehmung der Terrorismusbekämpfung. [he social construction of security: On the media communication and perception of counterterrorism.] In: Schriftenreihe Forschungsforum Öffentliche Sicherheit 13. Berlin. 2014 (Co-authors: Susanne Krasmann, Reinhard Kreissl, Bettina Paul and Christina Schlepper). https://www.sicherheit-forschung.de/forschungsforum/schriftenreihe_neu/13/index.html
• “My Fingerprint on Osama’s Cup.” On Objectivity and the Role of the Fictive Regarding the Acceptance of a Biometric Technology. In: Surveillance & Society 12(1): 1–14. 2014 (Co-author: Susanne Krasmann). DOI:10.24908/ss.v12i1.4718
• Big Data und Big Brother – was, wenn sie sich treffen? Über die vernachlässigte politische Dimension von Kontroll- und Überwachungstechnologien in der Akzeptanzforschung. [Big Data and Big Brother – what if they meet? On the neglected political dimension of control and surveillance technologies in acceptance research.] In: Kriminologisches Journal 25(4): 242–259. 2013 (Co-author: Susanne Krasmann).
• Versicherheitlichung und Biometrie. Zur Verbreitung einer Kontrolltechnologie im Spannungsfeld von Staat, Ökonomie und Alltag. [Securitization and Biometrics: On the diffusion of a Control Technology in the Interplay of State, Economy, and Everyday Life.] In: Politische Ökonomie und Sicherheit. (Political Economy and Security.] Ed. by Daniela Klimke and Aldo Legnaro. Weinheim/Basel: Beltz Juventa: 303–318. 2013 (Co-author: Jan Wehrheim).

Lectures

• Differentiating Truths – On (Epistemological) Shifts in Deception Detection for Airport Settings. Contribution to the Workshop „Automation, Control and Incompetence. Socio-Technical Ecologies of Responsible Filtering in the 20th and 21st Century“ of the Cluster of Excellence “Matters of Activity”. Berlin, 01.–02.12.2022 (Co-Authors: Bettina Paul and Torsten Voigt)
• Upscaling Ground Truthing for the Airport. Contribution to EASST 2022 “The Politics of Technoscientific Futures”. IFEMA Madrid, 06.-09.07.2022 (Co-Authors: Bettina Paul and Torsten Voigt)
• Algorithmen und Künstliche Intelligenz – Softwaretechnologien zwischen militärischer Erwartung und Wirklichkeit. Online-Briefing zu Zwischenergebnissen des DSF KI-Projekts. [Algorithms and Artificial Intelligence – Software technologies between military expectations and reality. Online briefing on interim results of the DSF AI project..] IFSH, 08.10.2020 (Co-Authors: Hendrik Erz and Christian Alwardt)
• Helfer_innen als sanfte Kontrolleur_innen – Zum Verhältnis von Interaktionspraktiken und Hilfeverständnisse. Beitrag zur ZIF-Arbeitsgemeinschaft „With a little help – from whom? ‚Helfen‘ als situatives und organisationales Phänomen. [Helpers as soft controllers – On the relationship between interaction practices and meanings of help. Contribution to the ZIF working group “With a little help – from whom? ‘Helping’ as a situational and organizational phenomenon.”] Center for Interdisciplinary Research, Bielefeld University, 07./08.11.2019 (Co-Authors: Christina Schlepper and Jan Wehrheim)
• Die sanften Kontrolleure revisited – Einsichten aus einer Replikationsstudie. [The Soft Controllers Revisited – Insights from a Replication Study.] Contribution to the Research Colloquium of the Social Pedagogy Working Group with a Focus on Social Policy Foundations, University of Wuppertal, 04.12.2018 (Co-Ahuthor: Christina Schlepper)
• „Meine Aufgabe ist, einen Bericht zu schreiben.“ [“My task is to write a report.”] Contribution to the Federal Congress of Social Work, Bielefeld, 06.09.2018 (Co-Author: Christina Schlepper)
• Die sanften Kontrolleure – revisited. [The Soft Controllers – Revisited.] Contribution to the research colloquium of the ISEP – Institute for Social Pedagogy, Adult Education and Early Childhood Education, TU Dortmund, 23.01.2018
• Gambling with the ‘gift’? On the relationship between security technologies, trust and distrust. The case of fingerprinting. Contribution to the Conference “Trust in Times of (In)Security” of the Research Group Interdisciplinary Analysis of Trust, Crises and Fear of the Future (ZIVA) and the Section „Political Sociology” of the German Sociological Association, University of Trier, 05./06.06.2014
• Trustworthy biometrics? (Ir)rationalities of voluntary fingerprint users. Contribution to the Conference „Surveillance and/in Everyday Life: Monitoring Pasts, Presents and Futures” of The Surveillance & Everyday Life Research Group and the University of Sydney, University of Sydney, Australia. 20./21.02.2012.
• Versicherheitlichung und Biometrie. Zur Verbreitung einer Kontrolltechnologie im Spannungsfeld von Staat, Ökonomie und Alltag. [Securitization and Biometrics. On the Diffusion of a Control Technology in the Interplay of State, Economy, and Everyday Life. Contribution to the Symposium “Political Economy and Security” organized by ISIP e.V. in Honor of Fritz Sack, Guest House of the University of Hamburg 05./06.10.2011 (Co-Author: Jan Wehrheim)

HSU

Letzte Änderung: 17. June 2025