PhD Research
In conversation with ghosts
Towards a hauntological approach to decolonial design for/with AI practices.
My research institute: Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences & Delft University of Technology
My supervisors (incl. research institute): Prof. dr. Somaya Ben Allouch (AUAS), Prof. dr. Elisa Giaccardi (TU Delft/ Politecnico di Milano), Dr. Nazli Cila (TU Delft)
My collaborations & Non-Academic Partners: Clearbox AI, Open Future, AMS Institute
I investigate how conversations about AI — often framed as purely technical — must also acknowledge the social, cultural, and historical contexts in which technologies are built and deployed. My focus lies on the concept of coloniality: how power, histories, and inequalities persist beneath the surface of modern design and AI systems.
There is a growing urgency to understand how technological systems encode forms of inequality, bias, and historical injustices, and how design might respond to — or even dismantle — those legacies.
What I Do & Why It Matters
Dual Research Approach — I combine theoretical exploration (desk research) with empirical inquiry (interviews with AI and design professionals).
Hauntological Framework — I use metaphors of ghosts and haunting to theorize colonial residues in AI and design systems — even when colonialism may appear to be in the past, its traces often persist in hidden ways.
Expert Insights — Through 12 in-depth interviews, I capture how practitioners perceive and contend with colonial legacies in their work, uncovering both systemic challenges and opportunities for change.
Design Pedagogy & Futures Thinking — I envision design education and speculative design practices as tools to address coloniality in AI — shaping more equitable, aware, and inclusive futures.
🌱 What I’m Trying to Achieve
Reveal the invisible legacies that haunt modern AI and design — power dynamics, structural inequalities, histories of exclusion.
Offer a new methodology: a hauntological, decolonial perspective that invites reflective design and critical engagement.
Inspire a shift in how designers, technologists, and institutions think about AI — not merely as a technical challenge, but as part of larger social, cultural and ethical landscapes.
Collaboration & Institutional Affiliation
My research is conducted in partnership with:
Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (AUAS)
Delft University of Technology (TU Delft)
Supervision & mentorship is provided by Prof. dr. Somaya Ben Allouch (AUAS), Prof. dr. Elisa Giaccardi (TU Delft / Politecnico di Milano), and Dr. Nazli Cila (TU Delft).
I also collaborate with networks and initiatives including Clearbox AI, Open Future, and AMS Institute.
Why This Research Matters
As AI becomes deeply woven into everyday life and global systems, it's not enough to treat it as a neutral tool. Technologies emerge from human decisions, histories, inequalities, and power structures. Without acknowledging — and designing for — these layers, AI risks perpetuating harm, bias, and exclusion under the guise of innovation.
Through my work, I aim to open space for critical reflection, new imaginaries, and design practices that confront colonial legacies — to help build technological futures grounded in justice, equity, and care.