Katerina Katka Cerna, PhD
katerina.cerna@hh.se / katerina.cerna86@gmail.com
October 2022 - September 2026 Associate Senior Lecturer at School of Information Technology at Halmstad University, Sweden
I am part of research program REBEL:
I coordinate Lunch & Learns, a regular seminar over lunch (2024 - )
I am part of FLUSH, project focusing on future student housing (2025 - )
I am part of the REBEL’s Leaders’ pool (2025 - )
I co-coordinate FUSE, a living lab network (2024 - )
I led one of the Seed projects (Sense 2B well), 2024
I keep on developing my research interest by exploring participatory design and learning in the area of sustainability within the context of HCI (Grow 2B well project) and more-than-human design (since 2022 through I.N.S.E.C.T. collective and VIBRA network).
I was part of project PadAI (2022-2024), which focused on using machine learning to support mental wellbeing management. My task is to understand the challenges young people experience and organize participatory design workshops based on the needs of the relevant stakeholders.
I was the research area leader with focus on participation research program CAISR Health (2022-2024)
I supported project PAS-SAP (2022-2024), which focuses on co-design of toolkit supporting self-documentation by people with chronic pain. My task is to conduct interviews with relevant professionals working in the Pain Center we collaborate with and organize co-design workshops to develop the toolkit.
I engage in writing of grants towards the theme of wellbeing and sustainability
October 2021 - March 2023 Senior lecturer at the division of HCI
at the department of Applied IT at Gothenburg University, Sweden.
My main task was to support and contribute to several courses with focus on design, learning and HCI. More specifically, I organized and held seminars for students, supervised design group work, graded students and created lectures (more details below in section Teaching experience).
I engaged in several projects connected to Appademin. More specifically, I work as a design ethnographer in a project focused on designing for self-tracking of people with spinal injuries (collaboration with Ryggmärgsskadecentrum Göteborg.
I engaged in writing of grants towards the theme of wellbeing and sustainability
I kept on developing my research interest by exploring participatory design and learning in the area of aging and sustainability within the context of HCI (Grow 2B well project).
December 2019 - September 2021 Postdoctoral researcher
at the chair IT for the aging Society, at the department Information systems and new media, University of Siegen, Germany.
I coordinated project ACCESS, an interdisciplinary and multinational effort, to understand digital literacy of older adults. In the subproject of ACCESS at University of Siegen, we specifically focused on supporting digital literacy of older adults by involving them in participatory design.
As the project coordinator, I planned and prepared empirical work within the project, which mainly involved organizing participatory workshops online, coordinating interviews conducted with relevant stakeholders (older adults and instructors in the local computer club).
I supported two MA courses and led a project-based course MA, as well as provided supervision to students working within ACCESS project (more details below in section Teaching experience).
I was responsible for planning, coordinating and writing publications and other scientific contributions as well as contributing to writing funding applications.
More information: http://access.wineme.fb5.uni-siegen.de/
Spring 2026
Prototyping, Bc - supporting
Prototyping, MA - supporting
Autumn term 2025
Design research, Bc - course responsible
Sustainable design, Bc - course responsible
XXX (Digital learning), MA - course co-responsible
Perspectives in informatics, Bc - supporting
Introduction to Digital learning, MA - supporting
Spring term 2025
Prototyping - course responsible
Autumn term 2024
Design research, Bc - course responsible
Sustainable design, Bc - supporting
Perspectives in informatics, Bc - supporting
Introduction to Digital learning, MA - supporting
Spring term, 2024
Prototyping bc- course responsible
Autumn term, 2023
Sociocultural perspectives, Bc - course responsible
Course responsible, Swedish/English, GU, MA/Mgr, October 2022 - January 2023
In the following courses I have reviewed and if necessary update course plans, organized and held seminars for students, supervised design group work, graded students and created several lectures.
Digital tools for communication and learning;
Design of IT for learning;
Supporting lecturer, English, GU, Bc, October 2022 - January 2023
In the following courses I have reviewed and if updated course plans, organized and held workshops for students and supervised design group work.
Cognitive perspectives on human-technology interaction (CogCom)
Supporting lecturer, Swedish/English, GU, MA/Mgr January 2022 - June 2022 for courses
In the following course I supported the course coordinator by organizing and holding seminars and lectures for the students. I especially focused on qualitative methods, UX design, design ethnography and Design sprint.
Applied Research Methods and Design for Information Technologies and Learning
Supporting lecturer, Swedish/English, GU, Bc/MA October 2021 - January 2022
In the following courses I supported the course coordinators by organizing and holding seminars for students, supervising design group work, grade students and creating several lectures.
Courses Human-computer interaction;
Digital tools for communication and learning;
Design of IT for learning;
Introduction to Artificial intelligence and learning.
Course responsible, English, USI, MA, October 2020 - February 2021; February - September 2021
Course Meta-design spaces for older adults
I supervised master students in project work, where they engaged in field work, prototyping and working with literature focusing on older adults’ experience with digital technology.
Supporting lecturer, English, USI, MA, February - September 2021
Course IT for the aging society (I supported the course leader in holding the course focused on IT for the aging society, which consists of lectures and students’ project work)
Course Participatory and Creative Methods for the Application Field Smart Living (I supported the course leader in holding a course in exploring and implementing participatory creative methods in areas such as remote work and creative workshops.
Course teacher, Swedish, GU, 16.1. - 27.3 2015
Methods for studying learning, communication and information technology in education, work and everyday practice
As a course teacher I was responsible for a lecture on mobile communication and exams evaluation; bachelor level
Course responsible, Czech, CUNI, Mgr., February - June 2013
Internet in the context of contemporary society -
Together with my two colleagues we planned, developed and held a course called the Internet in the context of contemporary society. Other than taking part in planning and developing the course, I was also responsible for the online part of the course. That involved preparing the e-learning environment, carrying out the online course activities and their evaluation.
February 2025 - present
co-supervisor to Melania Mihalcea, PhD student in project FLUSH
January - June 2026
MA in the international MA Digital Learning
4 bachelor thesis supervision, within DSI program.
January - May 2025
3 bachelor thesis supervision, within DSI program (Menstruationsspårning för alla: En normkritisk granskning av MSA; Challenges in smart home usage: Focusing on end user experience and energy consumption; Digitala samarbetsverktyg i den offentliga sektorn: En kvalitativ studie om hur digitala samarbetsverktyg främjar samarbete och kommunikation – möjligheter och utmaningar).
January - May 2024
Bachelor thesis supervision, within DSI program; Teaming – ett samarbete mellan människa och maskin: En kvalitativ studie för att inte gå miste om viktiga fördelar i dimman av teknisk kapacitet
September - December 2023
Internship supervision: title: Designing toolkit to facilitate management in chronic pain; a student from a MA program on learning and IT as part of the PAS-SAP project.
January - December 2023
I supervised a master student in their master thesis with the title Uncovering the Learning Experiences of ICT Usage and Perception among Older Adults in Costa Rica: A Participatory Design Multimedia Diary Study.
September 2022 - January 2023
I supervised a student internship focusing on plants in HCI and how to use sensors to foster their care; more specifically how to design for approaching plant death.
January 2022 - June 2022
during this period I supervised
3 students (2 thesis: teachers’ perceptions on learning platforms and learning badges implementation at a workplace), (15 credits), magister program Learning, communication and IT.
Johani Karani : The influence of digital open badges and learning paths on work integrated learning (not defended)
Karin Berg och Jacob Möllstams: Att undervisa med plattformar – Hur lärare uppfattar skolans digitala infrastruktur (Teaching with platforms - teachers' perceptions of their schools digital infrastructure)
1 student in their MA thesis on digital literacy fostering of older adults (30 credits), International Master's Programme in Information Technology and Learning (interrupted)
2 students in their bachelor thesis on Volvo truck drivers’ experience of a coaching system (1 thesis) (15 credits): A truck drivers’ guide to sustainable driving: A Qualitative User Experience Evaluation of Volvo Trucks’ On-Board Driver Coaching System; a bachelor program Cognitive science
December 2019 - September 2021
I supervised two students in supporting the ACCESS project and co-supervised one of them in writing his bachelor thesis focused on sustainable learning.
I supervised a student working on his MA thesis, focusing on motivational factors to use digital technology for older adults in Pakistan, conducting his field work in Pakistan.
Together with our project partner DIJ (German institute for Japanese studies), I co-supervised a research assistant based in Tokyo in her work on several case studies focusing on implementation of aging policy in Japan and its consequences on relevant NGOs.
On a regular basis I provided support, guidance and further training to students working in project ACCESS and research group IT for the aging society.
Talk during Sustainability window (Halmstad University) 2025 on Co-creating critical companions with plants: an interactive talk
AARHUS DEMO
Lecture on Enabling participation for a course about Research through design, MUNI, 2023
Lecture on More-than-human design as part of Tangible prototyping, Chalmers
Co-creator of the event I.N.S.E.C.T.; where I also co-led the theme Mapping ecologies, Hvalso, July, 2023; August 2024; August 2025
More than human design workshop, organized for a combined workshop for two classes in collaboration with Chris Matt, 2023
Co-creator of the event I.N.S.E.C.T.; where I also co-organized workshop Insect embodiment as a way to empathy with nature, Hvalso, August 2022
Participatory design, 3 seminars, English, 25.11.2020, University of Gothenburg, Sweden); Bc. level
Ethnography and field notes, English, 2.12.2020, 26.5.2021, University of Siegen, Germany; MA. level
Self-monitoring data in healthcare, Swedish, 12.12.2018, Chalmers University, Sweden; healthcare practitioners
Interaction analysis, Swedish, 14.11.2017, 20.11.2018, University of Gothenburg, Sweden; Bc level
Mobile communication - Swedish, 11.11.2014, 10.11.2015, University of Gothenburg, Sweden; Bc level
Erasmus+ program - a 2 weeks stay as a visiting researcher at Institute for Innovation and Development of University of Ljubljana, Slovenia
ELIIT funding of attendance NORDES conference, to held a workshop accepted at the conference called “Exploring the" human norm" in design: Integrating more-than-human and norm-critical design approaches”
Seedcorn project from research program REBEL “Multispecies perspectives on sensing technologies”
21-23/10/2025 Invited as an artist to Swedish Biodiversity Symposium
4 & 11/2025 Guide in Embodied walks for Västkuststuftelsen
1/1/2025 - present ITE Academy advisory board (HH)
1/1/2025 - present FUSE network coordinator (HH)
1/1/2025 - present REBEL Leadership pool member (HH)
9/12024 - present REBEL Lunch&Learn (HH)
03/2016- 06/2017 Department service as LinCS Collegium secretary (GU)
04/2016 - 12/2017 Department service as web coordinator in DigitaL (GU)
06/2014 - 08/2015 Research assistant (Applied IT GU/Chalmers) in DigitaL a and DNA Project
2009 - 2012 Diverse administrative positions (vendor specialists; contract coordinator and study abroad coordinator)
10/2007 - 06/2011 English teacher (adults, children)
Discussant in 90% licentiate seminar and part of Progress support committee of Yi Luo (PhD student in Informatics), YEAR
Discussant of a research proposal by Oliver Weberg (PhD student in Informatics) 2023
WONDER 2024
Poster chair ICT4S 2024; Registration chair HAI 2022;
I organized a workshop as a side-event Act Sustainable!, focusing on exploring relationships to nature through meditation and design.
I organized a workshop as part of the Sustainability festival in Gothenburg, focusing on exploring relationships to nature through meditation and art. More info here.
I organized a vision workshop together with Grönbo Ekoby
I review or AC on a regular basis for the following conference and journals: ECSCW, CSCW, CHI, NordiCHI, MuC
Co-organization of ECSCW 2020 - Virtual task force. As ECSCW took place in Siegen, I was part of a team that helped to transfer ECSCW into online format for the first time of the conference.
NordiCHI 2018 Volunteer at NordiCHI conference
VRST 2017 Volunteer at VRST conference
NordiCHI 2016 Volunteer at NordiCHI conference
IRIS conference 2016 Volunteer at IRIS conference
07/2013 - 05/2014 Master thesis work in DNA Project
Course in Research funding; Växsjö university
Course in PhD Student Supervision; Halmstad University
09/2015 - 11/2019 PhD in pedagogy at the University of Gothenburg
9/2017 - 10/2017 Visiting PhD at Information Science department, University of Colorado, Boulder, US
Relevant courses:
August 2018 Health Innovation Summer School (Halmstad/Uppsala)
July 2017 HCI Summer school in Ludz, Poland
May 2017 Teaching and Learning in Higher Education 1, GU
August 2016 EUSSET CSCW Summer school in Como, Italy
09/2012 - 06/2014 International Master of Educational Research (M.A.), University of Gothenburg
10/2010 - 06/2012 Sociology (Mgr.) Charles University, Prague
8/2011 - 1/2012 Erasmus program, Gothenburg, Sweden.
10/2010 - 06/2014 Teaching English as a foreign language (Bc.) Masaryk University, Brno
10/2007 - 06/2010 Sociology (Bc.) Charles University, Prague
Thesis: Designing for learning and knowing: Nurses in chronic care and patients' self-monitoring data
Thesis Supervisors: Jonas Ivarsson, Professor in Education (currently Professor in Informatics), Alexandra Weilenmann, Professor in Interaction Design.
Areas of study: HCI, CSCW, Learning, Nursing
In my work, I focused on how nurses' work changes when they get access to a new type of self-monitoring data of their patients, and what implications it will have for their work in terms of professional development. More specifically, I have conducted an ethnographic study within a pelvic cancer rehabilitation clinic, where I studied the work of nurses in relation to development and use of a mobile application that supports collecting self-monitoring data of patients. By using a wide range of qualitative methods, I study the consequences of nurses participating in the design process of the mobile application and how their talks with their patients change when they get access to the new data.
Languages: Czech (native speaker), English (professional efficiency), Swedish (professional efficiency), and German (conversational level)