Empowered Youth Participation through EPIC-WE

Speaker biographies

Sabine Niederer (NL) is professor at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, where she heads the Visual Methodologies Collective, a transdisciplinary research group of artists, designers, programmers, researchers working on visual, digital and participatory methods for social and cultural research. Sabine is also one of the coordinators of the Digital Methods Initiative at the University of Amsterdam, with whom she studies the online representation of timely social issues. With Gabriele Colombo (of Politecnico di Milano), she wrote the book Visual Methods for Digital Research, which was published by Polity in 2024.

Andy Dockett (UK) is art director with the Visual Methodologies Collective at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, where he designs exhibitions, scenographies, publications and digital media. He is currently involved in artistic research projects around climate change and works closely with researchers to develop participatory and reflexive methods on themes such as urban belonging, sustainability and games and culture.

Maria Costa is a PhD student in Informatics and a researcher currently working under a research grant at Lusófona University, focusing on the integration of virtual reality (VR) and eye-tracking technologies. She obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering from ISCTE-IUL in 2019 and completed her Master’s degree at the same institution in 2024 with the thesis titled "A serious game to increase children’s knowledge about the vital role of sharks in marine ecosystems". As part of her academic journey, she participated in an Erasmus program at Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya in Barcelona from September 2023 to January 2024. Her research interests center in the use of VR and serious games for marine conservation more specifically towards helping sharks.

Lorena Bueno is a Brazilian concept artist and illustrator who specializes in storytelling and cute looking designs. She graduated from Lusófona University with a diploma in Visual Arts in 2025 and spent a year studying Fine Art and Design at London College of Contemporary Arts (LCCA) in 2021. Additionally, she played a role in creating "Graple Paws," game made for a Christmas Game jam. https://www.lollypopofficial.com/

Em Hansen (De/Dem | They/Them) is a Research Assistant at Aarhus University and works with diversity and inclusion within EPIC-WE. They hold a master's in Aesthetics & Culture and have specialized in the intersection between queer theory, inclusion and diversity, and the creative videogame industry. They have first hand experience participating in EPIC-WE Cultural Game Jams and have worked as part of the project in facilitating Cultural Game Jams as part of the Aarhus Hub and is a sitting member of the EPIC-WE Youth Advisory Board.