Stefan Selke initially studied aerospace engineering, and later sociology, philosophy, anthropogeography, and literary studies (Portuguese/Spanish). He earned his PhD in sociology in 2001. After serving as a visiting professor of sociology at the University of Applied Sciences Villingen-Schwenningen (Police University) (2004–2006), he worked between 2006 and 2008 as a research assistant at the Karlsruhe University of Education (Department of Sociology) and the University of Karlsruhe (Institute for Regional Studies) in an international master’s programme (50% each).

In 2008, Selke was appointed to the Department of “Sociology of Digital Media” at Furtwangen University, where, following a reclassification of the professorship, he has represented the Department of “Social Change” since 2011. Selke was the founding dean of studies for the “Applied Health Sciences” programme, associate dean of the “Health, Safety, Society” faculty, and Senate representative for Sustainable Development.

Selke is currently a research professor of “Transformative and Public Science.” He founded the Public Science Lab, which provides information on the methods, theories, and fields of application of public science and contributes to discussions both within and outside the academic world.

Courses taught

• Lecture: “Sociology”
• Lecture and seminar: “Social Change”
• Lecture and seminar: “Technology and Society”
• Lecture and seminar: “Philosophy of Science” (Master's)

Research interests

• Social transformations, creeping change, changes in civilization
• Social Utopias, Techno-Utopias, Space Exploration
• Digitalisation and Artificial Intelligence
• Transformative and Public Science

Current third-party funded projects

• Explorative Modernity. On the Public Value of New Space Exploration (in preparation)
• The Edited Human. Artificial Intelligence and Human Memory (in preparation)

Completed third-party funded projects

• “Artificial Intelligence as a Social Promise” (BMBF Collaborative Project KI.Me.Ge, 2021–2023)
• Digitaldialog 21 – Transdisciplinary Cartography of Digital Change between Participatory Social Analysis and Transformative Science (2019–2022)
• Big Data und Boni Pay-as-you-live tariffs in healthcare. Technological prerequisites and societal consequences (2019–2021)
• Internal link opens in the same window:VALID – Ethical aspects of digital self-monitoring in healthcare (2017–2020)
• SONIA – Social inclusion through technology-supported communication services in an urban-rural comparison (2013–2016)
• Sustainability in the Bag – From ‘Watch Wearers’ to ‘Vision Skippers’. Sustainability as an Export Hit from Rural Innovation Regions (2013–2016)
• Self-Determined and Secure (2013–2015) (Interdisciplinary Collaboration)
• ZAFH-AAL (Center for Applied Research in Ambient Assisted Living) (2013–2015) (Interdisciplinary Collaboration)
• Tafel-Monitor – Transformation of food banks and similar livelihood support services in the institutional tension between supply and demand (2011–2014)
• Limits of Good Deeds. Livelihood support services provided by municipal and association-based organizations in North Rhine-Westphalia (2010–2011)
• Post-Media Realities – What Will the Media of the Future Look Like? (2008–2010)

Memberships of scientific advisory boards

• Member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Integrata Foundation (Humane Use of IT/AI)
• Member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Schader Foundation (Dialogue Between Science and Practice) (until 2021)
• Member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the human rights organisation FIAN
• Member of the Baden-Württemberg Consumer Commission (until 2022)
• Member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the journal LATENZ – Journal for Science, Society, Work and Technology, Art and Culture

Visiting Professorships/Visits as a Visiting Scholar

• Bruno Kessler Foundation, Trento (Italy) (2024)
• European Space Agency, Paris (France) (2023)
• University of Huddersfield (Yorkshire, UK) (2018–2022)
• University of Salzburg (2015–2016)
• University of Cambridge (2015)
• University of Vienna (2012/13)

Expert appraisal activities

• Reviewer for the academic publisher Routledge (London)
• Reviewer for the *British Journal of Sociology*
• Reviewer for the journal *Social Policy and Society*
• Reviewer for the journal *SuN – Sociology and Sustainability. Contributions to Social-Ecological Transformation Research*
• Reviewer for the *Austrian Journal of Sociology*
• Reviewer for the journal “TATuP – Journal for Technology Assessment in Theory and Practice”
• Reviewer for the Swiss National Science Foundation
• Reviewer for the Fritz Thyssen Foundation
• Reviewer for Freie Universität Berlin (Dahlem Research School)
• Reviewer for the Federal Ministry of Health
• Reviewer for the International University of Lake Constance

Jury memberships

• Member of the jury for the “Smart Cities” call for proposals (2019–2021) (BMI)
• Member of the jury for the BKK Innovation Award “Poverty and Health”
• Member of the jury for the 1st and 2nd Foresight Film Festivals (BMBF)

Reviewer activities

• Reviewer for the “Kölner Zeitschrift für Soziologie und Sozialpsychologie”
• Reviewer for the “Soziologische Revue”
• Reviewer for surveillance-studies.org

Public Sociology/Science

As a “public sociologist,” Stefan Selke is a frequent guest in the media. Since 2009, this has included appearances on approximately 50 television programmes, over 120 radio programmes and lectures, 150 articles for newspapers and magazines, and around 200 public lectures.

Key Books/Anthologies in this field

• Selke, Stefan (2020): An Invitation to Public Sociology. A Post-Disciplinary Passion. Wiesbaden: Springer VS.
• Selke, Stefan / Treibel, Annette (2018) (eds.): Public Social Sciences. Foundations, Fields of Application, and New Perspectives. Wiesbaden: Springer VS.

Key articles in this subject area

• Selke, Stefan (2021): Knowledge Transfer to the Public. In: Selke et al. (eds.), Handbook of “Public Sociology,” Wiesbaden: Springer VS.
• Selke, Stefan (2021): Revitalization of Public Sociology since 2000. In: Selke et al. (eds.), Handbook of “Public Sociology,” Wiesbaden: Springer VS.
• Selke, Stefan (2020): Michael Burawoy – For Public Sociology. In: Selke et al. (eds.), Handbook of Public Sociology, Wiesbaden: Springer VS.
• Selke, Stefan (2020): Narrative Public Sociology. In: Selke et al. (eds.), Handbook of Public Sociology, Wiesbaden: Springer VS.
• Selke, Stefan (2020): Barbara Ehrenreich – Public Sociologist Against Her Will: Springer VS.
• Selke, Stefan (2017): Doing Public Sociology. The Dilemma of Public Sociology as Public Non-Science. In: Aulenbacher et al. (eds.), Public Sociology. Frankfurt a.M.: Campus.
• Selke, Stefan (2016): Public Sociology and New Audiences. Dialogic Knowledge Production Instead of Distinctive Science. In: Hahn, Kornelia/Langenohl, Andreas (eds.), New Public Spheres?! On the Dialogue Between Diagnoses, Dynamics, and Concepts. Wiesbaden: Springer VS.
• Selke, Stefan (2015): Public Sociology as Complicity. From the Disciplinary Bunker to the Dialogical Social Laboratory. In: Journal of Theoretical Sociology.

In addition, Stefan Selke edits the book series “Public Science and Social Change” (Springer) as well as the magazine “Zugluft. Öffentliche Wissenschaft in Forschung, Lehre und Gesellschaft” (ISSN 2702-5934).

Public science is also available for the ear: External link opens in a new window:Audio sample

Further information: www.stefan-selke.de and www.facebook.com/selkestefan