I am Elena Denia, a Spanish astrophysicist, philosopher and science communicator. Currently, I work as a post-doctoral fellow at the Department of Science, Technology and Society (STS-Program) of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), as well as a member of the MIT Museum (MITM). Before, I was a post-doctoral fellow at the European Commission’s project Inclusive Science and European Democracies (ISEED), led from the Dipartimento di Filosofia e Beni Culturali of the Università Ca’ Foscari in Venice (Italy). Previously, I developed a doctoral thesis on “Social perception of science and digital engagement” (2020) at the INGENIO-UPV institute of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC).
Parallel to my academic career, I have promoted successful spaces for dialogue between scientists, politicians and citizens. In particular, I am a scientific advisory technician to inform policies within the Spanish citizen initiative “Ciencia en el Parlamento”, and a member of the Board of Directors. As a result of the initiative, the Spanish Congress has created in 2022 the first scientific advisory office in Spain, Office C, with a budget of €200,000 per year.
In addition, I am intensively involved in science outreach tasks and I regularly participate in science communication actions; including informal meetings, academic conferences, round tables, science festivals, exhibitions and workshops. I have also been invited as a speaker at outreach events such as Science in the News at Harvard University, TEDx talks, Pint of Science festivals, and multiple scientific events with a gender perspective. I have been awarded with the XXX Prismas Prize Casa de las Ciencias in 2017, and the international XXII Science in Action Award in 2021, among other recognitions.
Research lines: Public Understanding of Science, Science Engagement, Philosophy of Science.
Current project: Public understanding of deepfake technology. This project is part of the broader goal of exploring public knowledge, interest and attitudes towards Artificial Intelligence (AI).