Dr. Alina Gales
Office hours: by appointment (please e-mail)
Room: Arcisstrasse 21, Building 0505, Intermediate Story, Room Z563
E-Mail: alina.gales@tum.de
Fon: +49 89 289 24096
Fax: +49 89 289 24093
In her position as a diversity manager, Dr. Alina Gales consults the Executive Vice President for Talent Management and Diversity, Prof. Dr. Claudia Peus, in strategic activities to advance the Technical University of Munich to an even more diverse and inclusive school and workplace. She completed her PhD in Gender Studies in Engineering & Science at the TUM during which she was a visiting scholar at UC Berkeley. Next to her research interest in the mutual influence of technology and society, Dr. Alina Gales is passionate about biased Artificial Intelligence and gives presentations on the discriminatory factors of AI.
More on research focus:
Through her research, Dr. Alina Gales became interested in the reciprocal influence of technology and society. She learned to understand the ways digital technology is connected to the power dynamics that traditionally exist in hierarchical societal structures. How are digital technologies shaping a society and the individuals positioning themselves within that society? In her PhD thesis, Dr. Alina Gales analyzed the intersection of gender and age with technology to understand the perception and impact of gendered technology stereotypes, especially by and for women. She provides evidence on technology’s role in the judgement of individuals by each other, which in turn can impact someone’s positioning within society – on educational, professional or social level.
Short Bio
| Since 05/2021 | Diversity Manager for the Executive Vice President Talent Management & Diversity at Technical University of Munich |
| 01/2017 – 01/2021 | PhD in Gender Studies in Engineering & Science at the Chair of Research and Science Management and the TUM School of Governance | Technical University of Munich, Germany |
| 01/2019 – 05/2019 | Visiting Researcher at University of California Berkeley, USA |
| 09/2014 – 10/2015 | M.Sc. Communication Science | University of Amsterdam, Netherlands |
| 07/2012 – 01/2013 | Semester abroad Communications and New Media | National University of Singapore, Singapore |
| 09/2010 – 06/2013 | B.A. Media and Communication Science (Minor: Political Science + Philosophy) | University of Mannheim, Germany |
Publications
Peer-reviewed publications and conference proceedings
Gales, A., & Hubner, S. V. (2020). Perceptions of the self versus one’s own social group: (Mis)conceptions of older women’s interest in and competence with technology. Frontiers in Psychology, 11(848), 1–15. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00848
Gales, A., & Loos, E. (2020). The impact of the relationship and family status in retirement age on women’s incorporation of technical devices in their everyday life. In J. Zhou & Q. Gao (Eds.), Human Aspects of IT for the Aged Population, Technology and Society, Proceedings of the 6th International Conference, ITAP 2020, held as part of the 22nd HCI International Conference (pp. 207–225). Springer International Publishing. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-50232-4_15
Conference presentations
Gales, A. (2019, July). Technology is power. An argumentation for technology as a new intersectional category and as a representation of power. Paper presented at the Oxford Women's Leadership Symposium, Oxford, England.
Scholarships and awards
PhD Scholarship from Friedrich-Ebert-Foundation