REFSQ 2025
Mon 7 - Thu 10 April 2025 Barcelona, Spain

Markus Oermann

Markus Oermann

Designing Software means Shaping Digital Society
When we design software systems, we are crafting the structure of our digital society. The decisions made in requirements engineering and software design ripple through society, affecting not only how we interact, work, learn, and live but also shaping our worldviews, identities, and notions of normalcy.

Software engineers and designers carry a significant ethical responsibility, making it essential to embed value-driven design practices from the very beginning. This keynote discusses the ethical imperatives in software development, emphasizing the need to balance legal and ethical responsibilities with technical innovation. Through a thoughtful approach, engineers can positively influence our digital world, creating a fairer, more efficient, and innovative society.

Dr. Markus Oermann is a Professor of Digital Ethics and Media Law at the Technical University of Applied Sciences Würzburg-Schweinfurt (THWS) in Germany. His background includes serving as a policy advisor on social issues and transformation for the Office of the Federal President of Germany, and working as a consultant for the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media. His experience also spans roles as a senior researcher at the Leibniz Institute for Media Research | Hans Bredow Institute.

Dr. Oermann studied law, political science, and philosophy at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, completed his second state examination in law in Hamburg, and earned his doctorate at the University of Hamburg with a focus on the constitutional protection of internet access.

Email: markus.oermann@thws.de

Birgit Penzenstadler

Birgit Penzenstadler

Birgit Penzenstadler bridges the worlds of software engineering, sustainability, and well-being, offering a unique perspective on how technology design impacts our world. Her work explores how resilience and sustainability can be woven into the fabric of software engineering practices, contributing to a healthier, more sustainable future.

Over the past decade, Birgit has focused on integrating sustainability into requirements engineering (RE), producing a body of work documented by the Karlskrona Alliance, including the Karlskrona Manifesto. This initiative aims to guide sustainable software design. Additionally, she investigates how software engineering research can support permaculture and regenerative agriculture, combining her academic expertise with her passion for food growing and plant care.

Her insights extend beyond academia; she delivered a TEDx talk in 2022 in Göteborg, Sweden, highlighting the connections between well-being, resilience, and sustainability in technology design.

Birgit also embraces a holistic approach to life as a 500-RYT yoga teacher specializing in breathwork, an Embodied Mindfulness Coach, Reiki level II practitioner, NET (narrative exposure therapy) facilitator, and permaculture designer. She teaches yoga asana at The Gremlin Movement Society in Göteborg and shares guided meditations and breathwork on Insight Timer.

When she’s not advancing sustainability in tech or teaching mindfulness, Birgit enjoys acrobatics in the park and exploring innovative ways to cultivate resilience in daily life.

Academic Roles:
- Associate Professor at the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology and Gothenburg University, Sweden
- Adjunct Professor at the Lappeenranta University of Technology, Finland

Education:
- PhD in Software Engineering, Technical University of Munich, Germany

Links:
- TEDx Talk
- Meditations on Insight Timer
- Sustainability Design
- Well-being Research