Dr. Pouya Sepehr | Artificial Intelligence |Best Researcher Award
Research Fellow, Siena University, Italy
Pouya Sepehr is a researcher and urban planner specializing in the intersections of science, technology, and urban studies. He explores how technological infrastructures influence urban environments, focusing on sustainability and socio-environmental innovation.
Profile
📚 Education:
Pouya holds a PhD in Science-Technology-Society from the University of Vienna, completed in 2023, with a dissertation defense in February 2024. He also holds master’s degrees from the University of Vienna in Science-Technology-Society and from Oxford Brooks University in Development and Emergency Practice. His bachelor’s degree is from Tehran University in Restorations and Conservation of Historical Buildings.
💼 Experience:
Pouya has extensive experience in project management and research. He has served as a Post-Doc Research Fellow at the University of Siena, focusing on digital social innovation in European urban contexts. Previously, he worked as a Researcher at the Institute for Advanced Studies Vienna and as a Research Assistant at various academic institutions across Europe.
🔬 Research Interests:
His research interests include the governance of technology and innovation in urban settings, urban sustainability, and the societal impacts of technological infrastructures. He is particularly interested in advancing multimodal and multispecies urbanism and promoting inclusivity and resilience in urban environments.
🏆 Awards:
Pouya Sepehr is an elected council member of 4S (Society for Social Studies of Science), recognizing his contributions to the field of Science and Technology Studies (STS).
Publications
Sepehr, Pouya. (2024). Mundane Urban Governance and AI Oversight: The Case of Vienna’s Intelligent Pedestrian Traffic Lights. Journal of Urban Technology, 31(1).
Felt, Ulrike, and Pouya Sepehr. (2024). Infrastructuring Citizenry in Smart City Vienna: Investigating Participatory Smartification between Policy and Practice. Journal of Responsible Innovation, 11(2).
Sepehr, Pouya and Ulrike Felt. (2023). Urban Imaginaries as Tacit Governing Devices: The Case of Smart City Vienna. Science, Technology, & Human Values, 48(9).