International Center for Ethics in the Sciences and Humanities (IZEW)

Dr. Mone Spindler

Head of the Research Group Co-laborative Research and Innovation

Dr. Mone Spindler deals with the question of how research and innovation processes can be made more reflexive by incorporating ethical expertise. Her main areas of focus include analysing the possibilities and limitations of ‘integrating’ ethics into technological development projects and critically constructive research into ‘ethics tools’. She also works on ethical issues relating to age(ing).             

Areas of Expertise

  • Ethics in the sciences: Theory and practice of approaches such as integrated research, embedded ethics, ethics as a service, ethics parallel research
  • Sociological and ethical questions of age(ing): critical gerontology, ageing and technology, postcolonial perspectives on age(ing)
  • Ethical questions of biomedical technologies
  • Ethical questions of interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research

Career

  • 2/2012 until 1/2015 and since 2/2016 researcher at the IZEW.
  • 2/2012 until 7/2013 research assistant at the Institute for Ethics and History of Medicine at the University of Tuebingen.
  • 2007 until 2010 PhD Fellow at the Research Training Group Bioethics of the German Research Council (DFG) at the IZEW , 2012 graduated at Otto Suhr Institute, Freien Universität Berlin.
  • 1 until 9/2006 Marie Curie Training Fellow at the Sheffield Institute for Studies on Ageing, Sheffield University (UK).2003 until 2005 and 2007 Research Assistant at the Institute for Social Infrastructure (ISIS) in Frankfurt am Main.
  • Master studies of sociology, comparative science of religions and art education, Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main

Projects (selection)

  • Acquisition and coordination of the joint project INTEGRAM on interdisciplinary technology development (German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), FKZ 16SV7401K, 1.3.2016 - 28.2.2019, Director Prof. Dr. Regina Ammicht Quinn).
  • Coordination of the project MATERIA on ethical aspects of human technology interaction in old age (German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), FKZ 16SV6188, 1.7.2013 - 31.1.2015, Director Prof. Dr. Regina Ammicht Quinn).
  • Research assistant on the project "Discourse Biogerontology (Dikurs: Biogerontologie)(Part 1)" on ethical, legal and social aspects of biological ageing research (German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF, 01GP1172A, 1.7.2013 - 31.1.2015, Director . Dr. Julia Dietrich and Dr. Hans-Jörg Ehni).
  • Researcher and coordinator for Germany on the Project INTI – Integration of female migrant domestic workers (EC, INTI; 2006-2007, Projektleitung: Josie Christodoulou).
  • Researcher for Germany and assistant to the project director on the project MERI on living conditions of older women in Europe (EC, RTD; 2003-2004, Director: Dr. Karin Stiehr).

English publications

  • 2019: (with Judith Zinsmaier, Sophia Booz, Sven Wydra, Nils B. Heyen, Helya Gieseler et al.): How to achieve integration? Methodical concepts and methodological challenges of integrating ethical, social, legal and economic aspects into technology development. In: Arne Manzeschke und Bruno Gransche (Ed.): Das geteilte Ganze // INTEGRIERTE FORSCHUNG. Horizonte Integrierter Forschung für künftige Mensch-Technik-Verhältnisse // Innovationen durch und für gesellschaftlichen Wandel. Wiesbaden: Springer VS; VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften, S. 213–239.
  • 2015 (with Beimborn, Maria, Selma Kadi, Nina Köberer, Mara Mühleck): Focussing on the human: Interdisciplinary reflexions on ageing and technology. In: Domínguez-Rué, Emma und Linda Nierling (Ed.). Ageing and technology: Perspectives from the social sciences. Bielefeld: Transcript, S. 311-333.
  • 2011 (with Hans-Jörg Ehni): Abolishing Aging? The importance of being realistic about the biomedical application of biogerontology and its ethical and social implications. In: Bioethica Forum, 4(2), S. 44-50.
  • 2009 (with Christiane Streubel): The Media and Anti-Aging Medicine. Witch-Hunt, Uncritical Reporting or Fourth Estate? Medicine Studies. 3 (1): 229-247.
  • 2008 (with Ramona Lenz): Integration of female migrant domestic workers in Germany (National Report). In: The Mediterranean Institute of Gender Studies (Ed.): Integration of female migrant domestic workers. Strategies for employment and social participation, Nicosia: University of Nicosia Press, S. 63-89.
  • 2008: Anti-ageing and religiosity: surrogate religious narrative, spiritual materialism, Protestant ethics? In: Journal of Aging Studies, 22(4), S. 322-330.

English presentations

  • 17. März 2017: „‘Big Data‘ and Healthy Ageing“ Workshop „Plurality of Conceptions of Health 2: Healthy Ageing“ of the Institute for ethics and history of medicine, University ofTuebingen.
  • 19. September 2014: „Ageing yes – but healthy ageing“. Does the new anti-aging medicine in Germany alley suspicion that anti-aging is ageist? 2014 Mid-term conference of the Research Network on Ageing in Europe (ESA), Special session: Is anti-aging ageist? Klagenfurt, Österreich.
  • 8. August 2012. „The project 'Discourse: Biogerontology'. A course to stimulate the discussion on biogerontology“, FLARE Summerschool, Galway, Ireland.
  • August 2009: „Personal responsibility for ageing risks and moral obligation to healthy ageing: Morality of ageing in German anti-ageing-medicine“, 23rd European conference on philosophy of medicine and health care, Tübingen.
  • Oktober 2008: “Maximizing, eliminating or preventing the aging body? Negotiating the aging body within the anti-aging medicine movement”, Interdisziplinäre Konferenz „(Re)Constructing the aging body – Western medical cultures and gender 1600 – 2000” Institut für Geschichte, Philosophie und Ethik der Medizin, University of Mainz.
  • Oktober 2006: „’The fifth pillar of anti-ageing’: spirituality“, 36th EBSSRS Symposium „Values and Norms in Ageing”, Galway, Irland.
  • September 2006: „New weapons against ageing – predictive gene tests in Anti-Aging medicine” 35th Annual Scientific Meeting der British Society of Gerontology, Bangor, Wales.
  • Jul. 2006 (mit Anthony M. Warnes): „How scientists and society should respond to anti-ageing”, European Science Open Forum, Munich.
  • Sept. 2005: “‘Age’, ‘gender’ and ‘migration’ in official statistics”, Final conference of the European project “AGE – Age – gender – ethnicity”, Amsterdam.
  • Sept. 2004: (mit Maria Luisa Marrugat) „Older women and education“, Final conference of the European Projekt “MERI – Mapping existing research and identifying knowledge gaps concerning the situation of older women in Europe”, Brussels.

English workshops

  • 10. Februar 2017 (mit Larissa Pfaller): „‘Google vs. Death‘ Neue Fragen an die Anti-Aging-Medizin?“ Symposium der AG „Altern und Ethik“ in der Akademie für Ethik in der Medizin (AEM), „Altern zwischen Botox und Demenz. Gerontologie und Ethik im Dialog.“ Universität Zürich.

Public relations work

  • 19 April 2013: Studio guest in the radio program Lifetime of Deutschlandfunk: "The dream of eternal youth" (Grümmer/Roehl). Link.
  • 11 August 2013: Feature about the project "Discourse: Biogerontology" in the radio programm Studiozeit from Kultur- & Sozialwissenschaften of Deutschlandfunk: "Shall we slow down ageing? (Grümmer). Link.

English teaching

  • Summer term 2014 and 2015 (with Daniel Schloz): „Sustainable Development and Technology Assessment“, course in the master programme „Biomedical Technologies“ at the University of Tuebingen.