Johanna Hiebl is a doctoral researcher at the European New School for Digital Studies in Frankfurt (Oder)/Słubice, focusing on the historical self-organization of Ukrainian society with an emphasis on analog and digital resilience since February 2022. Her research challenges conventional military and journalistic frameworks by examining civilian media and data practices, known as civil war sensing, within the “War Sensing” project led by Prof. Dr. Miglė Bareikytė for Digital Studies and funded by the DFG as part of the Collaborative Research Center “Media of Cooperation” (SFB 1187).

Johanna holds a Bachelor’s degree in Slavonic and German Studies from the University of Heidelberg and a German-Polish Master’s in Multicultural Communication from the European University Viadrina and Adam Mickiewicz University Poznań. Since 2018, she has been actively involved in projects at the science-civil society interface at the European University Viadrina, including initiatives such as Ukraine Calling (2018-2021). Following Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, she has coordinated digital support projects in higher educational institutions responding to Russian aggression and contributed to a mental health and psycho-social support network for civil society activists. Additionally, Johanna has collaborated extensively with grassroots organizations in Central and Eastern Europe, like for advocacy campaigns supporting political prisoners in Belarus.