People & Organizations
1) Team
ai-dentities is led by an interdisciplinary team from the Institute of Communication and Media Research (IKMZ) at the University of Zurich and the Technical University of Munich, with expertise in psychology, communications, education, law, digital media, and related fields.
Sandra Cortesi
Sandra Cortesi is a Senior Research and Teaching Associate at the Department of Communication and Media Research (IKMZ) at the University of Zurich, where her work focuses on youth, digital technologies, and participatory, interdisciplinary research. In the spring of 2025, she joined the Technical University of Munich as a Rudolf Mössbauer Assistant Professor for Participation and Diversity in Digital Societies. At TUM – working in close partnership with the TUM Think Tank – she leads the Youth & Media Lab and the Creativity Lab, strengthening connections across disciplines and international collaborators. Before moving to Munich, Sandra was a Fellow at Harvard University’s Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society, where she directed the Youth and Media project and continues to serve as a Faculty Associate. She holds a PhD in psychology from the University of Basel.
Joelle Grewe
Joelle Grewe is a Master’s student in the M.Sc Politics & Technology program at the Technical University of Munich and works as a student research assistant at the chair of Digital Governance. Her academic interests lie in digital child safety and the societal impact and regulation of social media. Previously, Joelle completed her Bachelors degree in Digital Society at Maastricht University and worked in the field of political education.
Noha Lea Halim
Noha Lea Halim is a PhD Candidate at the Professorship Professorship for Public Policy, Governance and Innovative Technology at the Technical University of Munich, where she researches public policy, governance, and emerging technologies. Her current work focuses on how regulatory frameworks and institutional practices can adapt to fast-moving technological change. Most recently, Noha was a Visiting Researcher at Harvard Law School, where she also served as a Teaching Fellow in International AI Law and Governance. Before joining academia, she worked in public policy at Proton, first as a Legal & Public Policy Specialist and later as a Public Policy Associate, contributing to global debates on privacy, security, and digital rights.
Alexa Hasse
Alexa Hasse is a PhD student in Child Study and Human Development at Tufts University whose research focuses on the intersection between positive youth development and how young people navigate and make sense of digital technologies. Before beginning her doctoral studies, she served as Director of Education for the Youth and Media team at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University. Her work explores youth and artificial intelligence, digital skills, and cyberbullying, drawing on an academic background that includes degrees from Boston College, the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and the Boston College Lynch School of Education.
Camila Hidalgo
Camila Hidalgo is a PhD Candidate at the Professorship for Participation and Diversity in Digital Societies at the Technical University of Munich. Her interdisciplinary work sits at the intersection of child agency, creativity, and AI literacy, examining how young people learn, explore, and make decisions using AI. Drawing on her background in Science and Technology Studies and Law, she is interested in participatory and co-design methods to develop more enabling, child-centered digital experiences. She currently serves as a research lead of the Youth and Media and Creativity Lab at the TUM Think Tank. Camila completed her MA in Responsibility in Science, Engineering, and Technology (RESET) at TUM in 2022. Before her graduate studies, she earned her LLB from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, was admitted to the Chilean Bar in 2018, gained legal experience at the Pucón Law Clinic, and served as a teaching assistant in philosophical foundations of law and administrative law.
Anyu Jiang
Anyu Jiang is a PhD Candidate at the Professorship for Participation and Diversity in Digital Societies at the Technical University of Munich, where her research focuses on artificial intelligence and its impacts on youth, with a strong emphasis on understanding young people’s experiences and digital environments. She recently completed her MA in Internet & Society at the University of Zurich, specializing in social media mining, natural experiment analysis, and social network analysis, with extensive experience using R. Before her graduate studies, Anyu earned a BA in Sociology from Chung-Ang University, where she worked with ethnographic and statistical research methods. She also holds a BFA in Film Production from the Sichuan University of Media and Communications, bringing strong visual storytelling and editing skills to her interdisciplinary work.
Annabel Jones
Annabel Jones is currently an Editorial Content Intern at Novartis, where she supports the development of clear, impactful communications for global audiences. She recently completed her Masters at the University of Zurich in Internet & Society, focusing on artificial intelligence, youth well-being, online communities, digital privacy, and mixed research methods. Her thesis explored how international high school students in Switzerland interact with digital child safety tools and what their experiences can teach us about designing safer, more intuitive technologies. She also holds a Bachelors in English and Media Studies from the University of Virginia and was a student journalist there for three years. Annabel loves uncovering meaningful stories and is driven by a commitment to thoughtful communication, research-based policy, and civic engagement.
Ulrike Liebert
Ulrike Liebert is a Master’s student in the Fachdidaktik Medien und Informatik joint degree program of the Pädagogische Hochschule Schwyz, the University of Zurich, the Pädagogische Hochschule Luzern, and the Hochschule Luzern, where she is completing her practical training and focusing on media education, digital literacy, and learning across generations. She brings nearly a decade of leadership experience as the Founder and Managing Director of Generation 65 Plus GmbH, a company dedicated to supporting older adults in leading active, connected lives. Before founding her organization, Ulrike worked for TNT Swiss Post in roles including Marketing Manager for Switzerland and Austria and Marketing & Sales Support Manager. Alongside her professional work, she has been deeply committed to community engagement, serving as a volunteer with Pro Senectute in Birmensdorf and at the Children’s Hospital of Zurich. She brings together experience in aging, community work, and communication with a growing academic focus on teaching, media education, and participation.
Andras Molnar
Andras Molnar is Senior Digital Policy Manager and Director of Online Safety at the TUM Think Tank, where he leads work on artificial intelligence, data governance, privacy, cybersecurity, and children’s digital experiences. Andras also directs the Think Tank’s online safety portfolio. He is also an Affiliate at Harvard University’s Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society, where he contributes to research and teaching on digital transformation. Before joining TUM, Andras spent nearly seven years as a Policy Analyst at the OECD, advising governments on AI, data, online safety, and the digital economy. His work informed major international processes, including the G7 and G20 and was recognized by the White House.
Kirsten Mueller-Daubermann
Kirsten Mueller-Daubermann is a Master’s Candidate at the University of Zürich studying Internet & Society in the school of Media & Communications. She works as a research assistant with the University and Sandra Cortesi of Berkman Klein, conducting research in the areas of youth, mental health and wellbeing and digital technologies. Her interests are in the intersection of how developing technologies affect youth well-being, differing cultural contexts, and how policymakers and international organizations can protect but also enhance opportunities for young people in the digital realm. She completed her Bachelor’s degree at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia in Political Science.
2) Sounding Board
The project’s Sounding Board brings together some of Switzerland’s leading journalists who report on artificial intelligence, digital transformation, and society. With their deep understanding of public discourse and emerging trends, they provide valuable perspectives on how AI is framed, debated, and understood across the country. In ai-dentities, the Sounding Board helps ensure that the project’s insights resonate beyond academia by connecting our findings to broader public conversations and media narratives.
3) Supporters
UZH Foundation
The UZH Foundation is the official foundation of the University of Zurich (UZH), dedicated to advancing UZH’s mission of delivering excellent research and high-quality teaching. Guided by the belief that science drives progress, improves lives, and opens space for new ideas, the Foundation works to strengthen Zurich’s and Switzerland’s role as vibrant hubs for education and innovation. By building bridges between academia, industry, and philanthropy, the UZH Foundation helps create synergies, foster networks, and secure resources for promising initiatives across the university. In the context of ai-dentities, the UZH Foundation provides essential fundraising and contractual support that helps make the project possible, while all scientific activities remain fully independent.
Sunrise
Sunrise is Switzerland’s leading challenger, holding a strong number-two position in the national telecommunications market. With the most comprehensive fixed-network access and a world-class mobile network offering the highest gigabit coverage in Switzerland, Sunrise stands out as a premium, scaled provider. Building on its best-in-class, future-ready infrastructure, Sunrise provides high-quality mobile, landline, broadband, and TV services to residential customers, and equips business clients with 360° communications and integrated ICT solutions for connectivity, security, and IoT—all from a single source. Artificial Intelligence at Sunrise is more than technology, it’s about people, collaboration and progress. AI is redefining how we live, how we work and how we learn and grow together. While Sunrise supports the project financially through a donation (“reine Spende ohne Gegenleistung”), all research activities are conducted independently.
YouMedia
YouMedia (www.youmedia.ch) is a vital media platform for Swiss youth (ages 13-20) that uses workshops, articles, videos, and podcasts to achieve broad public impact. As our key implementation partner, YouMedia’s primary function is to translate project research findings into accessible content and maximize public awareness of critical issues. Their strength lies in their ability to effectively reach and engage a highly diverse audience, including young people who are traditionally disengaged from these topics.
TUM Think Tank
The TUM Think Tank at the Technical University of Munich is a research-to-action platform that brings together interdisciplinary expertise across online safety, youth and media, digital rights, emerging technologies, legal design, and policy analysis. With strong networks spanning government, academia, industry, and civil society, the Think Tank serves as an important bridge between research and practice. In the context of ai-dentities, it helps connect insights from Switzerland to broader European debates and the policy sphere, ensuring that emerging evidence on everyday AI use can inform discussions on responsible innovation, governance, and societal impact.
Broader IKMZ Research Circle
The project also benefits from close exchange with academic colleagues at the IKMZ who study AI from diverse perspectives and within different communities. Their complementary research – from work on AI and older adults, digital inequalities, and media use (e.g., Eszter Hargittai’s research with seniors) to studies on news, political communication, datafication, and digital well-being – helps situate ai-dentities within a broader scholarly landscape.