SUPERVISION

Over the years, I had the pleasure to supervise and mentor 17 graduate students. On this page, you can get a sense of their work and accomplishments.

On-going:

Shaked Spier on rethinking platform technologies (PhD dissertation)

Spier, Shaked. “Rethinking Platform Technologies: Moral Values, Politics, and Radical Technologies.” PhD dissertation, Philosophy Section, University of Twente.

Scheduled defense: November 3, 2025

Supervisory team: Philip Brey (promoter) and Yashar Saghai (co-promoter)

 Shaked is an external philosophy PhD candidate, a Digital Health project manager, a spokesperson for Die Linke’s BAG Netzpolitik working group (internet and digital policies, digital society, and digital rights), and, last but not least, a dedicated Ashtanga Yoga practitioner.

Shaked’s thesis uses an embedded values approach and the politics of technology to explore the platform and sharing economy by contrasting its mainstream capitalistic model (e.g., Airbnb Uber, TaskRabbit, Deliveroo) with its primary countermodel, platform cooperatives (e.g., Fairbnb, Coopify, CoopCycle). He develops a view that considers platform cooperatives as an instance of radical technologies.

In 2021, Shaked was awarded a one-year fellowship at the Institute for the Cooperative Digital Economy (ICDE) at The New School in New York City.

Shaked’s dissertation is article-based. He has published the following pieces:

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Paul Kuyer on the ethics of digital nudging (PhD dissertation)

Kuyer, Paul. “The Ethics of Digital Nudging.” PhD dissertation, Philosophy Department, Dublin City University.

Supervisory team: Bert Gordijn (primary supervisor), Yashar Saghai (co-supervisor) and Daragh O’Brien (co-supervisor).

Green light obtained in June 2025. Expected defense: Fall 2025.

PhD funded under the PROTECT (Protecting Personal Data Amidst Big Data Innovation) Project (MSCA-ITN - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Innovative Training Networks (ITN)).

Paul has a background in behavioral economics. His doctoral dissertation uses the definition of nudges I proposed in Saghai (2013) to provide an account of digital nudges used by the private sector. He develops an innovative moral framework combining preference shaping and preference satisfaction. You can find his profile here:https://www.dcu.ie/ethics/paul-kuyer and read two of his publications:

  • Kuyer, Paul, Sukanya Shukla, Fiachra O'Brolcháin, Víctor Rodríguez Doncel, and Bert Gordijn. 2025. “The ethics of digital nudging for sustainable energy consumption – a closer look at the EU green deal.” Technology in Society: 102990. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techsoc.2025.102990

  • Kuyer, Paul, and Bert Gordijn. 2023. “Nudge in Perspective: A Systematic Literature Review on the Ethical Issues with Nudging.” Rationality and Society 35 (2): 191–230. https://doi.org/10.1177/10434631231155005.

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Iki van de Pol on rethinking sustainability in urban food with blockchain (MSc thesis)

Van de Pol, Iki. “Food for thought: Rethinking sustainability in urban food with blockchain: Exploring the role of blockchain in reshaping urban food systems through degrowth and the pursuit of strong sustainability.” MSc thesis, Philosophy Section, University of Twente.

Supervisory team: Michel Bourban (supervisor) and Yashar Saghai (second reader)

Colloquium scheduled on July 8, 2025

Iki’s thesis explores “how blockchain technology can support the transition of urban food systems from growth-oriented sustainable development toward strong sustainability, guided by degrowth and commons principles.”

Completed:

Leon Rossmaier on mHealth apps and structural injustice (PhD dissertation, 2024)

Rossmaier, Leon. 2024. “mHealth apps and structural injustice.” PhD dissertation, Philosophy Section, University of Twente. https://ris.utwente.nl/ws/portalfiles/portal/347862493/Simon_Stevin_thesis_Leon_Rossmaier.pdf

PhD defended in February 2024.

Supervisory team: Philip Brey (promoter) and Yashar Saghai (co-promoter)

PhD funded under the PROTECT (Protecting Personal Data Amidst Big Data Innovation) Project (MSCA-ITN - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Innovative Training Networks (ITN)).

Leon’s doctoral dissertation “seeks to answer the question of which inequalities matter most for the potential public health benefits of mHealth apps to realize.” To do this, it applies and expands on Madison Powers’s and Ruth Faden’s theory of social justice and structural injustice in public health and health policy. “Moreover it meets the challenge of discussing the providers’ responsibility to mitigate the structural injustices linked to mHealth apps”, for instance when they create inflated or false hopes for vulnerable user.

After finishing his doctoral degree, Leon joined Population Europe, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, where he works as research manager and project coordinator.

He’s also a talented Berlin-based photographer. You can admire his photographs here: https://www.leonrossmaier.com.

 Publications:

  • Rossmaier, Leon, Yashar Saghai, and Philip Brey. 2023. “Commercial mHealth Apps and the Providers’ Responsibility for Hope.” Digital Society : Ethics, Socio-Legal and Governance of Digital Technology 2 (3). https://doi.org/10.1007/s44206-023-00071-1.

  • Wieczorek, Michał, and Leon Walter Sebastian Rossmaier. 2023. “Healthiness as a Virtue: The Healthism of mHealth and the Challenges to Public Health.” Public Health Ethics 16 (3): 219–31.https://doi.org/10.1093/phe/phad019.

  • Rossmaier, Leon W S. 2022. “Commercial mHealth Apps and Unjust Value Trade-Offs: A Public Health Perspective.” Public Health Ethics 15 (3): 277–88. https://doi.org/10.1093/phe/phac016.

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Philipp Greinacher on how teachers understand their responsibilities for ChatGPT use in public schools (MSc thesis, 2024)

 Greinacher, Philipp. 2024. “How teachers understand their responsibilities for ChatGPT use in public schools.” Master’s thesis, Philosophy section, University of Twente.  http://essay.utwente.nl/103050/

Supervisory team: Yashar Saghai (supervisor) and Casey Lynch (second reader)

Defense: August 2024

 Philipp “investigated how teachers understand their responsibilities in relation to ChatGPT-use in public schools and what this implies for the conception of responsibility in relation to ChatGPT.” To do this, he conducted semi-structured interviews with five school teachers in Germany and used an interpretative phenomenlogical analysis on his data. His theoretical framework was borrowed from Olya Kudina’s “appropriation approach” (2024) which combines postphenomenology and moral mediation theory.  

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Tynke Schepers on automated decision-making systems and the epistemic condition of moral responsibility (MSc thesis, 2023)

Schepers, Tynke. 2023. “Automated decision-making systems and the epistemic condition of moral responsibility : public sector decision-making with decision aids.” MS thesis, Philosophy Section, University of Twente. http://essay.utwente.nl/96500/

Defense: July 2023

Supervisory team: Dina Babushkina (primary supervisor) and Yashar Saghai (second reader)

Tynke’s thesis explored whether automated decision-making systems and decision support systems “can be used by an individual civil servant without undermining the epistemic condition of moral responsibilty.” After finishing her Master’s in Philosophy of Science, Technology and Society at UT, Tynke started a PhD project focused on policy instruments for responsible algorithmization for the public sector at Tilburg University. 

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Michał Wieczorek on a pragmatist analysis of the ethics of self-tracking (PhD dissertation, 2023)

 Michał Wieczorek. 2023. “A Pragmatist Analysis of the Ethics of Self-Tracking.” PhD dissertation, School of Theology, Philosophy and Music. Dublin City University.

https://doras.dcu.ie/28319/1/MW%20PhD%20thesis%2019214594%201%20May%202023.pdf

Defense: February 2023.

Supervisory team: Bert Gordijn (supervisor), Fiachra O'Brolchain (co-supervisor) and Yashar Saghai (co-supervisor)

PhD funded under the PROTECT (Protecting Personal Data Amidst Big Data Innovation) Project (MSCA-ITN - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Innovative Training Networks (ITN)).

In his dissertation, Michał applied John Dewey’s pragmatist ethical theory and virtue ethics to the analysis of several key issues in self-tracking apps, namely their impact on: the individual and habit formation; interpersonal relations; just distribution of benefits and burdens produced through self-tracking. During his time as a PROTECT project student,Michał did a secondment under my supervision at the University of Twente.

Michał is currently an IRC Government of Ireland fellow, Dublin City University Institute of Ethics. He is currently working on a project entitled “AI in Primary and Secondary Education: An Anticipatory Ethical Analysis” in which he will use foresight methods.

 Disseration-related publications:

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Alexandra Csábi on mapping the impacts of emerging technologies on morality: A combinatory approach of mediation analysis and technomoral change (MSc thesis, 2022)

Csábi, Alexandra Mária . 2022. “Mapping the impacts of emerging technologies on morality: A combinatory approach of mediation analysis and technomoral change.” MSc thesis, Philosophy Section, University of Twente. https://essay.utwente.nl/92581/

Defense: August 2022.

Supervisory team: Peter-Paul Verbeek (primary supervisor) and Yashar Saghai (second reader)

In her thesis, Alexandra developed what she called the Moral Impact Mapping Approach: a framework that integrates mediation theory and the technomoral scenario approach anticipate the impacts of emerging technologies on morality on the micro- meso- and macro-levels. She then applied this approach to the case of human germline gene editing in the context of human reproduction.

Alexandra now works as a junior expert advisor in Transformation Governance at the Austrian Institute of Technology, an institution specialized in technology assessment.

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Arya Arjomand on a visual narrative study of moral imagination in Covid-19 related moral dilemmas (MSc thesis, 2022)

Arjomand, Arya. 2022. “Meaning in imagination: A visual narrative study of moral imagination in Covid-19 related moral dilemmas.” MSc thesis, Psychology, Health and Technology Section, University of Twente. https://essay.utwente.nl/89540/

Defense: February 2022.

Supervisory team: Anneke Sools (co-supervisor) and Yashar Saghai (co-supervisor)

Arya’s thesis contributed to the Post-Corona Futures project I co-directed with my colleague and narrative psychologist Anneke Sools, analyzing data generated by our third study (“Anticipatory Moral Imagination in Corona Times: A Study Based on Drawings”) in which participants from several countries (Ecuador, Finland, Greece, and the Netherlands) were shown pictures (rich and ambiguous drawnings created by visual artist Judith Schepers) that represented Corona-related moral dilemmas and were asked to identify the dilemmas and possible solutions. See Research Section, study 3 for details and the drawings.

In his thesis, Arya provided a “phenomenological insights into role of moral imagination by investigating how individuals make sense of novel moral dilemmas brought about by the pandemic” using an evolutionary game theory approach to analyze the data of our study on “Anticipatory Moral Imagination in Corona Times: A Study Based on Drawings.”

Since obtaining his MSc in clinical psychology at the University of Twente, Arya has been expanding his interests at the intersection of mental health research and clinical practice, especially positive cognitive-behavioral therapy and Adlerian psychotherapy.

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Johanna Bärthlein on how the expression of empathy varies across different Corona-related dilemmas (MSc thesis, 2021)

Bärthlein, Johanna. 2021. “‘Feeling into’ and moral imagination: how the expression of empathy varies across different Corona-related dilemmas.” MSc thesis, Psychology, Health and Technology Section, University of Twente.https://essay.utwente.nl/87773/

Defense: 2021.

Supervisory team: Anneke Sools (co-supervisor) and Yashar Saghai (co-supervisor)

Johanna’s contributed to the Post-Corona Futures project I co-directed with my colleague and narrative psychologist Anneke Sools, analyzing data generated by our “Anticipatory Moral Imagination in Corona Times: A Study Based on Drawings” study in which participants from several countries (Ecuador, Finland, Greece, and the Netherlands) were shown pictures (rich and ambiguous drawnings created by visual artist Judith Schepers) that represented Corona-related moral dilemmas and were asked to identify the dilemmas and possible solutions. See Research Section, study 3 for details and the drawings.

Johanna’s study examined “how the expression of empathy varies in the anticipatory moral imagination of different Corona-related dilemmas. The focus of this analysis was on the kinds of empathy since this study was the first to empirically examine the six aspects of empathy by Alma & Smaling (2006). Furthermore, the intensity of empathy was added to this theoretical framework and its interaction with three of the six aspects of empathy was analysed per dilemma. The results showed that how empathy was expressed varied per dilemma in the kind and intensity of empathy as well as their interaction.”

 Currently, Johanna works at Studienkreis GmbH, an education management company based in Bochum, Germany.

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Kathrin Bartsch on inter- and intraindividual differences in empathy-response to Covid-19 related moral dilemmas (MSc thesis, 2021)

Bartsch, Kathrin. 2021. “Inter- and intraindividual differences in empathy-response to Covid-19 related moral dilemmas.” MSc thesis, Psychology, Health and Technology Section, University of Twente. https://essay.utwente.nl/87891/

Defense: July 2021.

Supervisory team: Anneke Sools (co-supervisor) and Yashar Saghai (co-supervisor)

Kathrin contributed to the Post-Corona Futures project I co-directed with my colleague and narrative psychologist Anneke Sools, analyzing data generated by our third study (“Anticipatory Moral Imagination in Corona Times: A Study Based on Drawings”) in which participants from several countries (Ecuador, Finland, Greece, and the Netherlands) were shown pictures (rich and ambiguous drawnings created by visual artist Judith Schepers) that represented Corona-related moral dilemmas and were asked to identify the dilemmas and possible solutions. See Research Section, study 3 for details and the drawings.

Kathrin’s thesis selected a sample of survey responses by twenty participants and analyzed them “inductively and deductively by thematic analysis that led to the distinction of four facets of empathy: 1) affective empathy, 2) cognitive empathy, 3) expressed empathy, and 4) future-self empathy…. findings highlighted that there are inter- and intraindividual differences. Thus, participants showed to apply multiple facets of empathy parallel or at least within the same dilemma. Additionally, participants used different empathy facets depending on the dilemma they faced.”

At present, Kathrin works as a psychotherapist at LVR Klinik in Cologne, Germany.

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Leon Borgdorf on learning for life in the digital age: the role of universities in promoting students’ well-being (MSc thesis, 2021)

Borgdorf, Leon. 2021. “Learning for life in the digital age: The role of universities in promoting students’ well-being." MSc thesis, Philosophy Section, University of Twente. https://essay.utwente.nl/85906/1/Borgdorf_MA_BMS.pdf

Defense: February 2021.

Supervisory team: Yashar Saghai (primary supervisor) and Patrick Smith (second reader)

Leon’s thesis investigated the following research question: “How does the deployment of digital technologies in tertiary education affect students’ well-being, and how should the tertiary educational model protect and promote students’ well-being?” To do this, Leon used a theory of well-being based on Aristotle’s eudaimonia and Self-Determination Theory from psychology to analyze assumptions underlying of the “current educational model at the UT by scrutinising the digital technologies and current policies deployed at the UT” and the risks they pose to students’ wellbeing, and possible improvements based on alternative assumptions (self-endorsed learning; embodied learning; co-constitution of the individual and their environment).

After his Master’ degree in Philosophy of Science, Technology and Society, Leon got a PhD position at Utrecht University (Faculty of Veterinary Medicine) working on working on ethical and societal implications of genomic innovations in farmed animals. In 2024, he published his first article: Borgdorf, Leon. "Josh Milburn’s just fodder: The ethics of feeding animals." (2024): 10. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s41055-023-00140-8.

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Nikolas Giampaolo on regretting vaccine indecision: Solving Covid-19 vaccine hesitancy through anticipated regret-nudging (MSc thesis, 2021)

Giampaolo, Nikolas. 2021. “Regretting Vaccine Indecision: Solving Covid-19 Vaccine Hesitancy Through Anticipated Regret-Nudging.” MSc thesis, Philosophy Section and Public Administration, University of Twente. https://essay.utwente.nl/88815/

Defense: October 2021

Supervisory team: Yashar Saghai (co-supervisor) and Giedo Jansen (co-supervisor); Patrick Smith (second reader) and Pieter-Jan klok (second reader)

Nikolas did a Master’s thesis as part of a joint track between the Master’s program in Philosophy of Science, Technology and Society and Public Administration, so he was co-supervised by faculty members from both sections. His thesis evaluated an anticipated regret-nudge (considering the possible consequences of not getting the shot) with respect to its efficacy and ethical permissibility (using conceptual analysis and reflective equilibrium for the ethical dimension of the thesis). To do this, he conducted an online survey with 171 Dutch participants (June-July 2021) testing their reactions to his regret-based nudge.

 At present, Nikolas works in Rome as senior consultant with Deep Blue in the railway sector.

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Gijs van Leeuwen on powering the future with smart grids (MSc thesis, 2021)

 van Leeuwen, Gijs. 2021. “Powering the future with smart grids: A normative framework for moral-political problems.” MSc thesis, Philosophy Section, University of Twente. https://essay.utwente.nl/88521/1/vanLeeuwen_PSTS_BMS.pdf

Defense: September 2021.

Supervisory team: Yashar Saghai (primary supervisor) and Andreas Weber (second reader)

In his thesis, Gijs explored the following question: “What moral-political problems emerge in the development of smart grid infrastructure and what kind of normative framework can assist us in addressing them?”. To answer this question, he built a normative framework combining normative prescriptions from Energy Justice, Energy Democracy and American pragmatism. He tested his framework with the empirical case of a community-based Virtual Power Plant (cVPP) project in the Dutch town of Loenen. His thesis benefited from a historical chapter and my colleague, historian Andreas Weber’s input was invaluable.

 After finishing the Master’s program in Philosophy of Science, Technology and Society, Gijs started a PhD project at Delft University of Technology in which he explores the intersection between social, technological, and political dimensions of the local energy transition in Amsterdam South-East.

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Wietse Hage on biology assessment on the feasibility of anticipating synthetic biology (MSc thesis, 2021)

Hage, Wietse. "Biology Assessment on the feasibility of anticipating Synthetic Biology" MSc thesis, Philosophy Section, University of Twente. https://essay.utwente.nl/85584/1/Hage_MA_BMS.pdf

Defense: January 2021.

Supervisory team: Yashar Saghai (primary supervisor) and Miles MacLeod (second reader)

In his thesis, Wietse defended the claim that “due to the transition from mechanical technologies to living technologies, Technology Assessment requires a thorough understanding of the ‘anticipatory nature of nature’ for it to adequately perform functions in its new role as ‘Biology Assessment’.” To do this, he relied heavily rearch at the intersection of futures studies, anticipatory systems theory, and technology assessment.

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Brad Hillas on a pragmatist perspective on human migration to Mars (MSc thesis, 2020)

Hillas,  Bradley Michael. 2020. “A pragmatist perspective on human migration to Mars.” MSc thesis, Philosophy Section, University of Twente. https://essay.utwente.nl/85233/

Defense:  November 2020.

Supervisory team: Yashar Saghai (primary supervisor) and Philip Brey (second reader)

In this thesis, Brad argued that human migration to Mars is morally justifiable from a Deweyian pragmatist perspective (ethics as democratic and experimental inquiry) and successfully addresses inherent injustices involved in such projects.

Brad is currently working as a staff member at the University of Twente’s Faculty of Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC).

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Anna Carolina Zuiderduin on a risk analysis of the climate impacct of meeat consumption (MSc thesis, 2020)

Zuiderduin, Anna Carolina. 2020. “The tragedy of meat: A risk analysis of the climate impact of meat.” MSc thesis, Philosophy Section, University of Twente. https://essay.utwente.nl/80836/1/Final%20thesis%20-%20A.%20Zuiderduin%20-%20S1847945.pdf

Supervisory team: Kevin Macnish (primary supervisor) and Yashar Saghai (second reader)

Defense: March 2020.

In her thesis, Anna Carolina assessed which solution is the most equitable to counter the environmental impact of meat consumption, using Jonathan Wolff’s 2010 risk assessment framework.

Interestingly, Anna Carolina’s trajectory led her to Futures Studies. Today, she works as Strategic Foresight and Innovation (SFI) policy advisor at the Technical University Delft. SFI is part of the Department of Strategy Development. Previously she worked at Stichting Toekomstbeeld der Techniek (STT).