Olya's current work concerns AI and democracy in different contexts. She is an interdisciplinary researcher: philosophically, her work is inspired by (post)phenomenology, Dewey's pragmatism, and bioethics. She is interested in understanding the technologically induced value change and connecting the insights to developmental practices.
To this end, she experiments with a range of empirical methods from STS and psychology — such as Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis — integrating them with philosophy of technology frameworks like Value Sensitive Design.
To anticipate the ethical challenges and opportunities for an informed design and use of technologies, Olya thinks it is essential to combine different academic practices and fields — which is why her collaborations span philosophy, engineering, computer science, medicine, and social science.
Ethics arises within messy sociotechnical relations. Any guidance must be informed by this situated knowledge.
Research philosophy
TU Delft
The AI as Deliberative Multimodal Systems (AI DeMoS) Lab investigates how AI systems reshape democratic processes, public deliberation, and political subjectivity. Co-directed at TU Delft, the lab brings together philosophers, designers, and engineers.
Visit the labDutch National Consortium
AI-MAPS (AI Multi-Agency Public Safety Issues) is a Dutch National ELSA Lab. The consortium investigates ethical, legal, and societal dimensions of AI deployment by the Dutch police.
EUR-Erasmus MC · TU Delft
The EUR-Erasmus MC and TU Delft Convergence Flagship project on AI and mental wellbeing of adolescents. Olya co-supervises responsible AI development in this clinical and societal context.
Visit the projectOlya supervises PhD projects at the intersection of philosophy, technology, and society.
Daily supervisor
Dmitry studies the ethics and politics of algorithmic fallibility: how people understand, experience, and respond to errors, breakdowns, and failures in AI systems. His research combines philosophy of technology, STS, and critical algorithm studies.
Supervision: Olya Kudina (daily supervisor), Nazli Cila (co-promotor), Sabine Roeser (promotor)
Daily supervisor
Jordi investigates the political significance of algorithmic technologies, particularly how social media platforms shape political subjectivities and democratic participation. He is particularly interested in the mutual influence of philosophy and design. His work combines political philosophy, philosophy of technology, and critical approaches to technological design.
Supervision: Olya Kudina (daily supervisor), Nazli Cila (co-promotor), Ibo van de Poel (promotor)
Daily supervisor
Syafira investigates how adversarial machine learning can protect privacy and support democratic deliberation, particularly in the context of political profiling and electoral manipulation. Her research bridges philosophy of technology, AI ethics, and computer science.
Supervision: Olya Kudina (daily supervisor), Aaron Ding (co-promotor), Ibo van de Poel (promotor)
Co-promotor
Karin explores the ethics and aesthetics of AI-based mental healthcare, focusing on digital phenotyping and alternative approaches to understanding mental health. Drawing on pragmatist aesthetics, anthropology, and research-through-design, she develops a felt informatics approach centered on lived, sensory, and sociocultural experience.
Supervision: Nazli Cila (daily supervisor), Olya Kudina (co-promotor), Alessandro Bozzon (promotor)
Co-promotor
Gül investigates how design can critically reimagine public AI systems and their role in democratic life. Through speculative and research-through-design approaches, she explores how AI infrastructures shape relationships, participation, and possibilities for collective political engagement.
Supervision: Nazli Cila (daily supervisor), Olya Kudina (co-promotor), Pieter Desmet (promotor)
Co-promotor
Esra investigates human-AI decision-making in adolescent mental healthcare, focusing on responsible personalization and the design of digital tools that support young people’s mental well-being. Her research forms part of the interdisciplinary ProtectME project.
Supervision: Ujwal Gadiraju (daily supervisor), Olya Kudina (co-promotor), Willem-Paul Brinkman (promotor)
Co-promotor
Michaël investigates the design of conversational AI agents that support human deliberation and reflection on values. His work combines cognitive modeling, artificial intelligence, and philosophical approaches to value alignment, with applications in democratic engagement and human-AI interaction.
Supervision: Mark Neerincx (daily supervisor and promotor), Olya Kudina (co-promotor)
Daily supervisor
Thomasin investigated the ethics of social robots in everyday life, focusing on privacy, social norms, domestic environments, and human-robot relationships. Her research examined how robots transform social practices and the ethical expectations surrounding them.
Supervision: Olya Kudina (daily supervisor), Ibo van de Poel (promotor)
Read the doctoral dissertation