Dr. Alexander Ziegler

About

Alexander Ziegler is conducting research at the Weizenbaum Institute as part of the project 'Tech Companies: An Analysis of Work Organisation in the Development Departments of Online Platform Companies'. This two-year project is funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) as part of the Walter Benjamin Programme. It began in July 2025 and will form the basis for his habilitation.

From a labour and industrial sociology perspective, Alexander examines the transformation of companies and work. He focuses on the IT and semiconductor industries, the automotive industry, and mechanical and plant engineering. Methodologically, his research is based on qualitative case studies, in which he analyses changes in strategy development and work organisation within companies with a view to identifying areas of potential change.

He began his academic career in 2015 as a doctoral student at the Institute for Social Science Research (ISF Munich). In 2020, he completed his doctorate with distinction at FAU Erlangen-Nuremberg with his thesis, 'The Rise of the Internet of Things: How Industrial Companies Develop into Tech Companies', which was published by Campus Verlag. During his time at the Weizenbaum Institute, he will continue to serve on the ISF Munich board. He is also a lecturer at FAU Erlangen-Nuremberg and a member of the Labor and Industrial Sociology section of the German Society for Social Sciences (DGS).

Research Group: Working with Artificial Intelligence