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Extended Professional Biography

Matilda Kalving is a multidisciplinary designer, researcher, and artist working at the intersection of artificial intelligence, Human–Computer Interaction (HCI), design research, and creative technology. Her work examines how emerging technologies transform creative practices, human experiences, and social systems through a combination of academic research, artistic experimentation, and hands-on design practice.

Her research focuses particularly on generative AI tools, computational creativity, interaction design, explainable AI, immersive media, digital heritage, and AI for social good. Kalving’s work often investigates the evolving relationship between humans and intelligent systems, emphasizing ethical, user-centered, and critically reflective approaches to technological innovation.

Kalving’s research has been published and presented at internationally recognized venues including NordiCHI, OzCHI, the International Conference on Mobile and Ubiquitous Computing, the Nordic Journal of Working Life Studies, and Relate North. In Where AI and Design Meet: Designers’ Perceptions of AI Tools (NordiCHI 2024), co-authored with Mark Colley and Jonna Häkkilä, she explored how designers integrate generative AI into creative workflows and how these tools reshape professional design practices.

Her critical perspective on AI and creativity is further reflected in Creativity in the Imperfections: GenAI as a Disruptive Inspiration (NordiCHI Workshop 2024), co-authored with Kaisa Väänänen and Thomas Olsson, which examines how imperfections and unexpected outputs in generative systems can become catalysts for innovation and creative exploration.

In the field of explainable AI, Kalving co-authored Exploring Tangible Explainable AI (TangXAI): A User Study of Two XAI Approaches (OzCHI 2023), investigating how tangible interactions can improve user understanding and engagement with AI systems. Her broader interest in embodied and immersive experiences is visible in projects such as Aware Eye-Wearable Provotype as a Playful Design on Sensing Environments (Mobile and Ubiquitous Computing 2024) and Comparing VR and Desktop 360 Video Museum Tours (Mobile and Ubiquitous Computing 2022).

Her scholarship also addresses wider socio-technical and cultural themes. Contributions include Renegotiating Work-Home Boundaries (Nordic Journal of Working Life Studies, 2024), which examines remote work and domestic life in hybrid environments, and Connecting the Past (Relate North, 2023), which explores digital approaches to Sámi cultural heritage and storytelling.

Alongside her academic work, Kalving actively engages in artistic and curatorial practice. Her exhibitions and installations investigate speculative futures, emotional experiences, digital identity, and the role of emerging technologies in society. Notable works include the solo exhibition When Only Guilt Remains presented at Galleria Lyhty in Rovaniemi (2023), the collaborative exhibition Forms of Metal at Galleria Kilo (2021), and Augmented Artefacts exhibited in Rovaniemi and Vienna between 2022 and 2023.

Kalving has also contributed extensively to academic governance and organizational leadership at the University of Lapland. Between 2019 and 2024, she served in several representative and leadership positions, including Vice-Chair of the University Collegial Body, Faculty Council member, and Chair of the Student Association of Art and Design.

Her contributions to research, design, and the arts have been recognized through multiple awards and distinctions. These include the Pro Ars award from the Finnish Artists’ Association of Industrial Arts (TAO ry), Pro Borealis recognitions for distinguished organizational and community contributions, and the Prima Maisteri distinction awarded to the top graduate at the University of Lapland.

Through her interdisciplinary practice, Kalving continues to advocate for ethical AI, creative experimentation, and human-centered technological futures, while contributing to the ongoing dialogue between design, research, art, and emerging technologies.