Roberta Fischli

Hello there! I am Roberta, a political scientist, journalist, and PhD Candidate in Political Science at the University of St. Gallen, currently visiting the Center for the Study of Law and Society at UC Berkeley. My research centers on the new societal challenges and opportunities presented by the emergence of digital technologies, with a particular focus on how society can leverage data-driven innovations for the common good. In my dissertation „Freedom in the Digital Economy“, I propose a new understanding of freedom that responds to the algorithmic turn in the digital economy, and prioritizes human flourishing and meaningful agency over the mere opportunity to act. In my work, I combine insights from political theory with insights from a wide range of disciplines, such as sociology, science and technology studies, media studies, and political economy (More about my research here).

Prior to my stay at Berkeley, I was a Visiting Researcher at Georgetown Law, and a Doctoral Researcher & Teaching Assistant at the School of Economics and Political Science (SEPS) at the University of St. Gallen. I hold a Masters Degree in Political Science (with a special focus on Political Economy and Philosophy), and a Bachelors Degree in Political Science and Modern History from the University of Zurich, Switzerland. I am an affiliate of the Critical Data Lab (Humboldt University, Germany), a member of the Digitale Gesellschaft Schweiz, the Future Society Association, and the vice ethics chair at the Data Cooperative PosMo. My work has been published in the European Journal of Political Theory, History of Political Thought, Morals and Machines, Republik, Neue Zürcher Zeitung, and Philosophy Now.

I like photography, too. Alongside my written work there’s also a visual diary on this page. All photos are taken by me, unless stated otherwise.

roberta.fischli@berkeley.edu