We hope to inspire participants to question current trends in academia and embark into meaningful and healthy careers.

We talked to Marianela Ciolfi Felice, Assistant Professor in Interaction Design at KTH and Supervisor for one of the Postdoc projects (Role of data-intensive methods in health advocacy efforts for disabled communities) at Digital Futures. Marianela is also the chair of Future Digileaders 2021.

Hi Marianela, you are the Chair of the organising committee of Future Digileaders 2021– a yearly event for selected early career researchers interested in the broad area of digitalization.

Tell us a bit more about Future Digileaders – what is it?

– It is a career workshop targeting early-career researchers in the broad area of digitalisation, who identify as women or as non-binary. This is the third time that it will be run and it has been a success so far!

What is the purpose of Future Digileaders?

– We want to provide participants with a chance to hear from -and talk with- inspiring role models in historically male-dominated areas, as well as network with each other, and get to know more about the thriving research and industrial environment in Stockholm.

How is the workshop organised and who may participate?

– It is organised in conjuction with the Digitalize in Stockholm conference, by an organising committee composed of seven women, all researchers from KTH, RISE and Stockholm University. It will consist of a virtual meeting kicked-off by the city’s mayor, followed by a renowned keynote speaker,and three panels covering topics such as leadership, rethinking academia, combining academia and industrial paths, etc. Recent PhD graduates or senior PhD students with an interest in digitalisation can apply to participate, no matter their affiliation or geographical location.

What is happening right now? What would you like to see happen after the workshop?

– We are still receiving applications from all over the world and we already have an exciting line-up of speakers. We are also organising a complementary virtual visit to Ericsson that will happen the week of the workshop. Afterwards, we would love to welcome selected participants in Stockholm for a physical visit to the Digital Futures centre once it is safe to travel. Above all, we hope to inspire participants to question current trends in academia and embark into meaningful and healthy careers.

Link to Future Digileaders: https://www.digitalfutures.kth.se/news/future-digileaders

APPLICATION IS OPEN UNTIL 30 SEPTEMBER 2021 – APPLY NOW!