Franziska Zirker

About

Franziska Zirker works at the intersection of Science‑and‑Technology Studies and critical security studies. As a fellow at the Weizenbaum Institute she is part of the research group “Reorganization of Knowledge Practices”, where she develops  an interdisciplinary project that examines how artificial intelligence reshapes geopolitical forecasting and digital early‑warning systems. The aim is to understand the re‑configuration of crisis knowledge, to analyse the new (and blocked) courses of action that emerge, and to map the shifting configurations of actors.

Her academic background combines an M.A. in Sociology (Frankfurt) with B.A. degrees in Political Science and Social Sciences (Marburg). In her doctoral work within the Collaborative Research Centre “Dynamics of Security” she investigates how “real‑time” dashboards during the COVID‑19 pandemic made the health emergency governable and reconstructs the intertwined political and technological challenges involved in producing emergency knowledge.Zirker’s methodological expertise includes fieldwork, expert interviews, qualitative Situational Analysis, and art‑based methods. Her methodological interest goes beyond mastering established techniques to the experimental development of new ones—such as creating collages that extend the visual repertoire of Situational Analysis. She has presented her research at international STS, sociology and international‑relations conferences and is a member of the DGS‑STS section, EASST and 4S. 

Research Group: Reorganization of Knowledge Practices (01.04.-30.04.2026)