Dr.-Ing. Maria Freese

Research Assistant
Group leader “Work Research
& Industry 5.0“

Dr.-Ing. Maria Freese

Institute for Engineering of Products and Systems (IEPS)
Production Systems and Automation (IEPS)
Universitätsplatz 2, 39106 Magdeburg, G10-421
Vita

Since May 2023, Maria Freese has been working as a group leader at the Chair of Production Systems and Automation at the Otto von Guericke University in Magdeburg. She obtained her Bachelor in Psychology and master’s degree in Human-Technology-Interaction from the Otto von Guericke University in Magdeburg. From 2013 to 2017, Maria Freese worked as a doctoral candidate at the German Aerospace Center in Braunschweig. After this, she worked as a postdoctoral researcher at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands (2018 – 2023), except from January to August 2022, when she worked as a researcher at Raccoon Serious Games (commercial serious gaming company) in the Netherlands.

Professional distinctions and memberships

March 2025

 
Invited Speaker, German-American Frontiers of Engineering Symposium

February 2025 – ongoing

 
Chair of the Executive Board of the Swiss Austrian German Simulation and Gaming Association

July 2024

 
Keynote Action, International Simulation and Gaming Association’s Conference

May – July 2024

 
University of Canterbury Visiting Erskine Fellowship at the Human Interface Technology Lab NZ (University of Canterbury, New Zealand)

August 2023 – ongoing

 
Associate Editor, Journal of Simulation and Gaming

October

 
Keynote, Austrian Center for Digital Production Partner Conference

July 2023

 
Best Workshop Award, International Simulation and Gaming Association Conference

December 2022 – ongoing 

 

Jury member, German Simulation and Gaming Award

December 2021 – ongoing

 

Board member, Swiss Austrian German Simulation and Gaming Association

July  2021 – ongoing

 
Member, International Simulation and Gaming Association

June 2021

 
German Simulation and Gaming Award

September 2016

 
FameGame Competition Winner, Simulation Technology and Training Conference & International Simulation and Gaming Association Conference
Research
  • Decision-making processes and possible influencing factors (such as emotions) in human-human and human-technology interactions
  • Development, use and evaluation of applied immersive and serious games for the analysis and design of complex socio-technical systems
  • Human-centered design of systems (ergonomics)
Projects

Current projects

Gamelab Saxony-Anhalt - Research and development platform for applied immersive games
Duration: 01.01.2024 bis 31.12.2027

Companies in Saxony-Anhalt are facing major challenges. Innovations help to overcome these challenges by offering creative solutions and enabling new perspectives and more efficient approaches. Applied immersive games - to be understood as a human-centered and sustainable innovation method - are attractive for Generation Z (talent acquisition), can be used as a tool for lifelong learning (Industry 5.0) of all employees, a central basis for securing implicit experience knowledge (shortage of skilled workers), indispensable in the context of future-oriented training as well as for qualifications and further training participation (training purposes) and an ideal instrument for raising awareness of cutting-edge technologies in the context of digital learning systems.

Project objective
The aim is to establish a research and development platform for applied immersive games which, through the synergy of science and business, enables companies in the country to address the challenges of the working world by means of human-centered innovations and to develop solutions. The project is pursuing research into an (integrative) modular principle.

The Gamelab Saxony-Anhalt project is funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) for the project period from 2024 to 2027.
This text was translated with DeepL

View project in the research portal

Publications

Other publications

0000-0001-8700-6250 

2025

Book chapter

Transfer of learning in analogue, digital and hybrid games

Lukosch, Heide K.; Freese, Maria

In: Transferring gaming and simulation experience to the real world - Singapore : Springer ; Kikkawa, Toshiko . - 2025, S. 73-86

Peer-reviewed journal article

Game research by design in project management and beyond

Freese, Maria; Bekebrede, Geertje

In: Project leadership and society - Amsterdam : Elsevier, Bd. 6 (2025), Artikel 100174, insges. 11 S.

2024

Book chapter

Artificial intelligence meets serious gaming

Freese, Maria; Zürn, Birgit; Arlinghaus, Julia C.

In: GI-Edition. Proceedings / Gesellschaft für Informatik - Bonn : Ges. für Informatik, Bd. P337 (2024), S. 437-438 [Workshop: INFORMATIK 2023, Berlin, 26.-29. September 2023]

Approaching cognitive biases in the circular economy through serious gaming

Behnert, Anna-Kristin; Arlinghaus, Julia C.; Kessler, Melanie; Freese, Maria

In: Human Factors, Business Management and Society - New York, NY : AHFE Open Access ; Salminen, Vesa . - 2024, S. 11-21 - (AHFE international; volume 135) [Konferenz: 15th International Conference on Applied Human Factors and Ergonomics and the Affiliated Conferences, Nice, France, 24-27 July 2024]

Peer-reviewed journal article

Digitale Transformation und Serious Gaming - Erfolgsfaktoren für intelligente Fabriken

Freese, Maria; Kessler, Melanie; Arlinghaus, Julia C.; Maaß, Eike

In: Industry 4.0 Science - Berlin : GITO mbH Verlag für Industrielle Informationstechnik und Organisation, Bd. 40 (2024), Heft 5, S. 114-121

Digitale transformation and serious gaming - identifying success factors for smart factories

Freese, Maria; Kessler, Melanie; Arlinghaus, Julia C.; Maaß, Eike

In: Industry 4.0 Science , [Englische Ausgabe] - Berlin, Germany : GITO mbH, Bd. 40 (2024), Heft 5, S. 114-121

2023

Book chapter

About dinosaurs in laboratories - evaluation of the serious game cards for biosafety

Freese, Maria; Bekebrede, Geertje

In: Simulation and gaming for social impact - Cham : Springer International Publishing ; Harteveld, Casper . - 2023, S. 52-65 - ( Lecture notes in computer science; volume 13622) [Konferenz: 53rd International Simulation and Gaming Association Conference, ISAGA 2022, Boston, MA, USA, July 11-14, 2022]

Stop work - serious games as intervention method to enhance safety behavior

Freese, Maria; Vliet, Karen

In: Simulation and gaming for social impact - Cham : Springer International Publishing ; Harteveld, Casper . - 2023, S. 134-148 - ( Lecture notes in computer science; volume 13622) [Konferenz: 53rd International Simulation and Gaming Association Conference, ISAGA 2022, Boston, MA, USA, July 11-14, 2022]

Peer-reviewed journal article

The funnel of game design - an adaptive game design approach for complex systems

Freese, Maria; Lukosch, Heide

In: Simulation & gaming - London [u.a.] : Sage Publ. . - 2023, insges. 19 S.

Empfehlungen zur curricularen Integration von Planspielen in Wirtschafts-Studiengänge

Zürn, Birgit; Trautwein, Friedrich; Freese, Maria

In: Zeitschrift für Hochschulentwicklung - Wien : ÖGHD, Bd. 18 (2023), S. 167-185

Courses

Applied Game Design in winter semester 

Last Modification: 02.04.2025 - Contact Person: Webmaster