Sophie Publig is a Senior Scientist and digital ecosystem explorer, navigating the intricate webs of the online realm from her base at the Peter Weibel Institute for Digital Cultures, University of Applied Arts Vienna. She has been actively engaged in independent research in the fields of media theory, critical posthumanism, post-apocalyptic narratives, and contemporary art and is determined to unearth the symbiotic relations between technology, culture, and the environment.

Her doctoral thesis from 2023, The Sympoietic Life of Internet Memes, was conducted under the supervision of Prof. Clemens Apprich and formerly Prof. Peter Weibel and explores the dynamics of internet memes and digital cultures. With a focus on planetarity and the interconnections between living and non-living beings, Sophie approaches media discourse from an eco-digital perspective. This is also reflected in her work as an Associate Researcher since 2020 at the Critical Media Lab in Basel, where she has been working closely with Dr. Jamie Allen on theories and practices of the Anthropocene.

Although Sophie’s academic education at the University of Vienna, Free University Berlin, and University of Warsaw focused on Art History, she has dived into various disciplines including Ethnology, Architecture, Mathematics, and Contemporary History. In addition to her sought-after teaching at the Weibel-Institute and the School for Transformation, her interdisciplinary approach to learning is complemented by freelancing and collective ways of working including writing, publishing, speaking, and artistic research. In her free time, Sophie enjoys photography, video gaming, and the movies, particularly the genres of science fiction and horror.