Contact Dr Anne-Marie Oostveen
- Email: J.M.Oostveen@cranfield.ac.uk
- Twitter: @ArieOostveen
- ORCID
- Google Scholar
- ResearchGate
Areas of expertise
- Human Factors
- Industrial Automation
- Industrial Ergonomics and Human Factors
Background
Anne-Marie holds a PhD in Social Informatics and an MA in Cultural Anthropology from the University of Amsterdam. Before joining the Industrial Psychology and Human Factors Group at Cranfield University in 2020, she held research positions at the University of Oxford, the Rathenau Institute, the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the University of Amsterdam .
Her research explores the intersection of technology, society, and ethics, focusing on how emerging technologies impact people’s lives, work, and values. With a strong participatory approach, she’s worked on both the design and evaluation of technologies in areas ranging from public services to automation and AI.
Anne-Marie’s work has been funded by the European Commission, EPSRC, and other major institutions. She was awarded a Marie Curie Intra-European Fellowship to explore e-democracy and public trust and has published extensively across academic and public-facing platforms.
Research opportunities
Anne-Marie’s current work centres on the ethics of AI and robotics, with a particular focus on emerging fields such as drones, digital manufacturing, soft robotics, and nanobots. She explores how these technologies are developed, how they might be used responsibly, and how frameworks such as the EU AI Act can help embed socio-ethical principles into research and design.
Anne-Marie works at the intersection of:
• Ethics up front and responsible innovation in AI and robotics
• Socio-technical analysis of AI and robotic systems in real-world contexts
• Trust, acceptance, and decision-making in human-technology interaction
• Human-robot interaction in safety-critical and emerging application domains
Her work focuses on bridging the gap between technological capability and real-world adoption by ensuring AI and robotic systems are trustworthy, ethically grounded, and usable in practice.
This focus builds on a long-standing interest in the relationship between technology and society. Earlier in her career, Anne-Marie studied large and complex socio-technical systems, including e-voting, automated border control, and digital public service platforms. She examined how such systems are used and perceived, and how people’s values, attitudes, and behaviours shape their adoption. She has also investigated surveillance technologies such as biometrics and child-tracking systems, always with attention to the social trends and debates driving technological change. Her approach is participatory and problem-oriented: she believes that technologies should not only be designed for people but also with them, by involving diverse stakeholders in the process.
Beyond her own research, Anne-Marie plays an active role in the broader robotics and AI ethics community. She serves on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Climbing and Walking Robots (JCWR), published by Bon View, where she contributes to shaping the direction of scholarship in the field. She is also Guest Editor of a Special Issue on “Enhancing Manufacturing through Human-Collaborative Robot Integration” for Applied Sciences. In addition, Anne-Marie serves as the General Chair for the ICRES 2026 and CLAWAR 2026 conferences. As an independent expert for the European Commission, she evaluates proposals, reviews projects, and supports the development of new programmes and policies.
Current activities
CURRENT CRANFIELD PROJECTS
- MASTERLY aims to develop flexible robotic solutions, constituting of modular grippers combined with state-of-the-art robotic technologies, enhanced with AI-driven advanced control and perception capabilities that will allow them to act autonomously, handling a large variety of parts varying in size, shape, and material, while being accepted by both genders of workforce. [https://www.masterly-project.eu/]
- CONVERGING aims to develop, deploy, validate, and promote smart and reconfigurable production systems including multiple autonomous agents (collaborative robots, AGVs, humans) that are able to act in diverse production environments. [https://www.converging-project.eu/]
TEACHING
- MSc Applied Artificial Intelligence: Module leader and lecturer 'Ethical, Regulatory, and Social Aspects of AI' (ERS) compulsory module. [https://www.cranfield.ac.uk/courses/taught/applied-artificial-intelligence]
- MSc Connected and Autonomous Vehicles Engineering: Module leader and lecturer 'Ethics, Safety, and Regulation' (ESR).
- MSc Robotics: Lecturer 'Psychology, Ethics and Standards' (PES) compulsory module. [https://www.cranfield.ac.uk/courses/taught/robotics]
- Short Course: Module leader and lecturer on the 2-day intensive course 'Ethics of AI and Robotics', which equips professionals and academics with the tools and knowledge to address the societal, legal, and environmental implications of these transformative technologies. [https://www.cranfield.ac.uk/courses/short/aerospace/aero-ethics-of-ai-and-robotics]
PREVIOUS CRANFIELD PROJECTS
- FEROX: Using AI, robotics, and data tools to support wild food harvesting in Nordic forests, FEROX aims to improve working conditions for seasonal berry pickers. Anne-Marie leads research on work practices, socio-ethical impacts, and user acceptance. [https://ferox.fbk.eu]
- Made Smarter Innovation – Smart Robotics: This UKRI-funded centre addresses the social acceptability of collaborative robots in manufacturing. Anne-Marie investigates how automation reshapes work, skills, and public perception—developing ethical frameworks and policy guidance.
- DigiTOP: Exploring how trust, ethics, and awareness influence the adoption of digital manufacturing technologies. Anne-Marie contributed to assessing individual and organisational readiness for tech integration on factory floors.
- RAS Human Factors (MOD/Dstl): Developed guidance on human-centred design and testing of robotic and autonomous systems (RAS) in defence, with a focus on usability, safety, and trust.
Publications
Articles In Journals
- Oostveen A-M & Eimontaite I. (2026). Embedding ethics up front in AI and robotics: evidence from future engineers. AI and Ethics, 6(1)
- Oostveen A-M & Fletcher SR. (2026). AI-enabled foraging in the forest: disrupting efficiency-driven sociotechnical imaginaries in wild foraging. AI & SOCIETY
- Oostveen A-M, Eimontaite I & Fletcher S. (2025). Human factors in digital manufacturing technology adoption: a workforce perspective. The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology, 140(11-12)
- Budimir S, Fontaine JRJ, Huijts NMA, Haans A, IJsselsteijn WA, .... (2024). We are not equipped to identify the first signs of cyber–physical attacks: emotional reactions to cybersecurity breaches on domestic internet of things devices. Applied Sciences, 14(24)
- Huijts NMA, Haans A, Budimir S, Fontaine JRJ, Loukas G, .... (2023). User experiences with simulated cyber‑physical attacks on smart home IoT. Personal and Ubiquitous Computing, 27(6)
- Leesakul N, Oostveen A-M, Eimontaite I, Wilson ML & Hyde R. (2022). Workplace 4.0: exploring the implications of technology adoption in digital manufacturing on a sustainable workforce. Sustainability, 14(6)
- Ariansyah D, Erkoyuncu JA, Eimontaite I, Johnson T, Oostveen A-M, .... (2021). A head mounted augmented reality design practice for maintenance assembly: toward meeting perceptual and cognitive needs of AR users. Applied Ergonomics, 98(January)
- Oostveen A-M & Lehtonen P. (2018). The requirement of accessibility: European automated border control systems for persons with disabilities. Technology in Society, 52
- Vasalou A, Oostveen A, Bowers C & Beale R. (2015). Understanding engagement with the privacy domain through design research. Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology, 66(6)
- Oostveen A-M, Vasalou A, Van den Besselaar P & Brown I. (2014). Child Location Tracking in the US and the UK: Same Technology, Different Social Implications. Surveillance & Society, 12(4)
- Oostveen A-M. (2010). CITIZENS AND ACTIVISTS. Information, Communication & Society, 13(6)
- Oostveen A. (2010). Outsourcing Democracy: Losing Control of e‐Voting in the Netherlands. Policy & Internet, 2(4)
- Oostveen AM & Besselaar PVD. (2009). Users' experiences with e-voting: a comparative case study. International Journal of Electronic Governance, 2(4)
- Oostveen A-M. (2008). Gauld, R., & Goldfinch, S. (2006). Dangerous Enthusiasms: E-Government, Computer Failure and Information System Development. Dunedin, New Zealand: Otago University Press 160 pp. $39.95 (softbound). Social Science Computer Review, 26(2)
- Oostveen A-M & van den Besselaar P. (2005). Trust, Identity, and the Effects of Voting Technologies on Voting Behavior. Social Science Computer Review, 23(3)
- Oostveen A-M & Van Den Besselaar P. (2004). Internet Voting Technologies and Civic Participation: The Users’ Perspective. Javnost - The Public, 11(1)
- Oostveen AM & Van Den Besselaar P. (2001). Linking databases and linking cultures: The complexity of concepts in international E-governement. IFIP Advances in Information and Communication Technology, 74
- Braun S & Oostveen A-M. Encryption for the masses? An analysis of PGP key usage. Mediatization Studies, 2(0)
Conference Papers
- Oostveen A-M, Zhang J & Fletcher S. (2026). (Em)Powering the end of power: HRI for safe nuclear decommissioning
- Oostveen AM, Kaufmann M, Krempel E & Grasemann G. (2014). Automated border control: A comparative usability study at two European airports
- Vasalou A, Oostveen A-M & Joinson AN. (2012). A case study of non-adoption
- Oostveen A-M. (2011). The Internet as an Empowering Technology for Stigmatized Groups: a Case Study of Weight Loss Bloggers
- Oostveen A-M & van den Besselaar P. (2004). From small scale to large scale user participation
- Oostveen AM & Van Den Besselaar P. (2004). From small scale to large scale user participation: A case study of participatory design in e-government systems
- Oostveen AM & van den Besselaar P. (2004). Security as belief User’s perceptions on the security of electronic voting systems
- Callari T, Oostveen A-M, Hubbard E-M, Fletcher S & Lohse N. Where are we at? A review of the advances in the ethical aspects of human-robot collaboration
- Fletcher S, Oostveen A-M, Chippendale P, Ciceiro M & SMITH BALLESTER L. Developing Unmanned Aerial Robotics to Support Wild Berry Harvesting in Finland: Human Factors, Standards and Ethics
Books
- Callari TC, Oostveen AM, Hubbard EM, Fletcher S & Lohse N. (2023). Where Are We At? A Review of the State-of-the-Art of the Ethical Considerations in Human-Robot Collaboration In Applied Human Factors and Ergonomics International (80).
- Oostveen A-M, Meyer ET & Pickering B. (2013). User Involvement in Future Internet Projects In Lecture Notes in Computer Science (7858 LNCS). Springer Berlin Heidelberg.
- Oostveen A-M, Hjorth I, Pickering B, Boniface M, Meyer ET, .... (2012). Cross-Disciplinary Lessons for the Future Internet In Lecture Notes in Computer Science (7281 LNCS). Springer Berlin Heidelberg.
- Oostveen A & Besselaar PVD. (2007). Non-Technical Risks of Remote Electronic Voting In Encyclopedia of Digital Government (3). IGI Global.
- Oostveen A-M & Van den Besselaar P. (2002). Linking databases and linking cultures In IFIP International Federation for Information Processing (74). Springer US.
