Since September 2025 Leandra Thiele conducts her doctoral research at the Digital Media Lab as a doctoral fellow funded by the Klaus Tschira Foundation.

She completed her Bachelor’s degree in English-Speaking Cultures and Linguistics and her Master’s degree in English-Speaking Cultures with a specialization in Multimodal Linguistics at the University of Bremen. Afterwards, she worked as a research associate in the BMFTR-funded project FakeNarratives from 2023–2024, which investigated disinformation strategies in news media. She then joined the Collaborative Research Center EASE – Everyday Activity Science and Engineering, where she contributed to research on human-robot interaction.

Her research generally focuses on digital multimodal discourse, combining computational/digital and empirical approaches to study text, narrative and interactive strategies across audiovisual, graphic, and specifically digital media. In her doctoral project, she analyzes discourse structures and embodiment in digital empathy and mental-health games, aiming to identify design strategies that foster empathy.

We heartily welcome you to our place, Leandra!