Astrid Ensslin
University of Alberta
(formerly Bangor University)
Welsh Crucible 2012
Astrid obtained her BA/MA degree in English and German Studies at Tübingen University and went on to complete a PhD in Digital Media and Literary Studies at the University of Heidelberg after two years working for SAP Germany and four years teaching and researching at the University of Leeds. She subsequently obtained an ESRC-funded postdoctoral position at the University of Manchester and a Lectureship/Senior Lectureship in Digital Humanities at Bangor University. Her research combines digital media and applied linguistics, and her most recent projects examine the language of gaming, digital fiction and literary gaming. She led the AHRC-funded learner corpus project, ‘What’s Hard in German’ (2009-12).
Astrid is extremely keen to communicate and explore the role of language and communication through and in digital media and to increase public understanding of games and other digital interactive media as tools for identity formation and literacy development.
Astrid has relocated to Canada, and has been promoted to Professor in Digital Humanities and Game Studies at the University of Alberta’s Departments of Modern Languages and Cultural Studies, and Humanities Computing.