Iris Hilbrich, M.A.

• Science and Technology Studies
• Qualitative Methods
• Sociology of Sustainability
• Postcolonial Theories
• Technology Assessment
• Medical Sociology

03/2023–05/2023: Research Fellowship University of Barcelona, Spain. Center for the Study of Culture, Politics and Society (CECUPS), Research Project “The Politics of Imagined Climate Futures‘‘ (Prof. Dr. Peter Wagner, Dr. Anna Clot-Garrell)

09/2022–12/2022: DAAD Scholarship Holder and Guest Researcher at Climate and Development Initiative (ACDI), University of Cape Town, South Africa.

Since 09/2019: Research Associate DFG-Center for Advanced Studies «Futures of Sustainability», University of Hamburg.

03/2018–08/2019: Research Associate in the interdesciplinary DFG-Project “'I would prefer not to.' Organ donation between unease and criticism. A sociological and ethical analysis” at Universität Hamburg, Department of Socioeconomics

10/2014–02/2018: Master’s degree in Sociology at University of Vienna; Master’s Thesis: "Chances and Ostacles to Digital Paricipation in Citizen Science Projects"

06/2016–08/2016: Freelance research associate at the Berlin Social Science Research Center (WZB), research group on scientific policy, topic: research evaluation in the humanities and social sciences

08/2015–09/2015: Research internship at the WZB, research group on scientific policy, research focus: science and the public

09/2013–05/2014: Research internship at Ikapadata, Cape Town, South Africa

05/2010–05/2013: Various activities as a student assistant at the Chair of Sociology II (general and cultural sociology) at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU)

10/2008–05/2013: Double Bachelor of Arts in Sociology / English and American Studies at  Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg; Bachelor’s Thesis: "Quasi-religious dimensions in Anti-Aging: “Health as secular salvation” as meaning making in a secular society"

• Iris Hilbrich (2022): Vom Tabu zur Normalisierung - Geoengineering als notwendiges Übel (From Taboo to Normalization - Geoengineering as a Necessary Evil?), Keynote speech and panelist at the discussion "Climate Crisis and Conflicts over Future Technologies", organization: Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy University of Hamburg (ISFH) and Heinrich Böll Foundation Hamburg e.V., 13.06.2022 at the Museum of Work, Hamburg. (in German)

• Iris Hilbrich/ Frank Adloff (2021): "Salvation or hubris. Would geoengineering be a realistic way to curb global warming?". In: taz am Wochenende. November 13/14, 2021, p. 15. (in German)

• 19.02.2021 Iris Hilbrich: Digitale partizipative Forschung. Podcast (in German) with Prof. Dr. Hella von Unger at Highways2health. (in German)

• Iris Hilbrich (2023): "Geoengineering the Climate: Sociotechnical Imaginaries between Normalization and ‘Emancipatory Catastrophism’". In: The Failure of Green Capitalism: Findings, Objections, Alternatives, Annual Conference of the DFG Humanities Centre for Advanced Studies "Futures of Sustainability", University of Hamburg, 15.09.2023.

• Iris Hilbrich (2023): "Geoengineering the climate: The analytical potential of ‘emancipatory catastrophism’ for high-risk technology assessment". In: Climate Changed Geographies, Annual International Conference of the Royal Geographical Society, Imperial College London, 30.08.2023.

• Iris Hilbrich (2023): "Geoengineering the Climate: Sociotechnical Imaginaries between Normalization and ‘Emancipatory Catastrophism’." In: Seminario CECUPS, Center for the Study of Culture, Society and Politics, Universitat de Barcelona, 24.4.2023.

• Iris Hilbrich (2022): “Geoengineering the Climate: Contested Futures of Sustainability in Germany and South Africa”. Roundtable Presentation, African Climate and Development Initiative, University of Cape Town, 12.10.22.

• Iris Hilbrich (2022): "Vom Tabu zur Normalisierung - Geoengineering als notwendiges Übel" (From Taboo to Normalization - Geoengineering as a Necessary Evil), Keynote speech for the panel discussion "Climate Crisis and Conflicts over Future Technologies", organization: Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy University of Hamburg (ISFH) and Heinrich Böll Foundation Hamburg e.V., 13.06.2022 at the Museum of Work, Hamburg.

• Iris Hilbrich (2021): "Between (In)Visibility and (Un)Sayability: The Discomfort with Organ Donation in Germany.” In: Finding Language Where Words Are Missing. Organ Donation as a Challenge of Successful Communication, Interdisciplinary Conference at the Center for Health Ethics (ZfG), 25.06.2021, Hannover.

• Frank Adloff/ Iris Hilbrich (2020): “Natures of Sustainability: Ecosystem Services, Rights of Nature, and Geoengineering“, In: Joint Digital Workshop "Global sustainability and varieties of modernity" with research group “Varieties of modernity in the current global context: the role of BRICS and the Global South” at Ural Federal University, Ekaterinburg (Russia), 26.11.2020.

• Iris Hilbrich/ Solveig Lena Hansen (2020): “Appeals - Ambivalence - Defense: Sociological and Ethical Perspectives on Organ Transplantation in Germany”. In: Interventions in the Body: Restraint, Criticism or Deliberation?, International Conference, University of Hamburg, 19.02.2020.

• Iris Hilbrich (2019): “Comment and Conference Summary”. In: “Engaging the Skeptics?!" - Epistemic (In)justice, Public Participation, and Moral Expertise in Health Discourses, Workshop, University of Göttingen, 26.01.2019.

• Frank Adloff/ Iris Hilbrich (2018): “Yes? No? Maybe? Discursive exclusion of critique in organ donation discourse in Germany''. In: Brain Death and Decision on Organ Donation from an Intercultural / Interreligious Perspective. Multiprofessional, Intercultural Symposium. Klinikum Bielefeld, 14.11.2018.

• Iris Hilbrich (2018): “Discursive Exclusions of Critique in the Organ Donation Discourse in Germany.'' In: ''And then they muzzled me.'' Narratives, Invisibility and Exclusion in Discursive Arenas, Workshop University of Hamburg, 12.10.2018.