Research assistant

Sarah Straub has been a research associate at the Chair of Sociology at the University of Hohenheim since 2021. Before joining the university, she worked for several years in corporate research. She studied economics at the University of Konstanz and at the University of Tübingen. In 2024, she earned her doctoral degree in economics (Dr. oec.) from the University of Hohenheim.

Her research is situated at the intersection of economic and labour sociology. At the core of her scholarly interest lies the role of the human factor in digital transformation processes. She examines how work organization, occupational profiles, and understandings of work evolve in the context of digitalization, automation, and sustainability. Her work places particular emphasis on the human-centered design of digital work environments and the interaction between humans and technology.

She also brings her research into her teaching, especially in the bachelor’s courses „Social Sciences“, „Work and Organization in the Digital Transformation“ and the master’s seminar on „Word, Digitalization and Sustainability“. In addition, she supervises bachelor’s and master’s theses.

Research focus:

• Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the work context
• The human factor in digital transformation processe
• Working conditions and sustainability in the digital work environment
• Impacts of digital transformation on work processes, employmend relations, and organizational structures

Projects:

Since 2023: Optimization of Quality Assurance for Customer Interactions in Call Centers (OPAKA)
2021-2023: Artificial Intelligence for Healthy Work in Driving Professions (KARAT)