Table of contents
Research Interests
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Human–chatbot relationships
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Human–computer interaction
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Social cognition in human–AI interaction
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Psychological effects of AI and media use
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Digital well-being
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Meta-science & open science
Academic Positions
| 2025–present | Research and Teaching Assistant | University of Zurich |
| May 2026 (upcoming) | Visiting Researcher | Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam |
Education
| 2025–present | PhD (Dr. phil) in Media and Communication Science | University of Zurich |
| 2022–2024 | MA in Communication Science | University of Vienna |
| 2019–2022 | BA in Communication Science | University of Vienna |
Preprints
| 2026 | Rupprechter, N., Dienlin, T., & Hartmann, T. (2026). AI-RP: The AI Relationship Process Framework. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2601.17351 |
| 2025 | Rupprechter, N., & Dienlin, T. (2025, June 27). It's her! Investigating relationship development with social AI chatbots.https://doi.org/10.31235/osf.io/guc4x_v1 |
Conference Papers
| 2026 | Rupprechter, N., Dienlin, T., & Hartmann, T. (2026) The AI-RP: Toward a novel framework for studying human–chatbot communication and companionship. [accepted for presentation at ICA 2026] |
| 2025 |
Rupprechter, N. & Dienlin, T. (2024). It’s her! Investigating relationship development with social AI chatbots. [accepted for presentation at ICA 2025] Rupprechter, N. & Dienlin, T. (2025). Not Feeling It! Toward new measures for parasocial interaction with social AI chatbots. [accepted for presentation at MePsy 2025] |
Conference Appearances
Talks
| 2026 | Invited to present at panel "MEOW-tivating Interactions: Public Al Partners & Being Seen", for the annual conference of the International Communication Association. [Cape Town, South Africa; 2026] |
| 2025 |
Invited to present at panel “MIAO-nipulating cognition: AI offloading, expertise and relationships.” for the annual conference of the International Communication Association. [Denver, USA; 2025] Invited to present at panel "Human-AI and Mediated Experiences (Position Paper)" for the 14th conference of the Media Psychology Division (DGPs). [Duisburg, Germany; 2025] |
Poster Sessions
| 2025 | "A Research Agenda on Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy Discourse on Social Media" (Bizotto,N; Kang, S.; Rupprechter, N.; Sloksnath, P.; Dienlin, T.), for the Awareness Lectures on Psychedelic Science Conference (ALPS). [Geneva, Switzerland; 2025] |
Grants
| 2023 | Merit Scholarship awarded by the Austrian Federal Ministry of Education | 981€ |
| 2025 | Graduate Campus (GRC) Travel Grant | CHF1'580 |
| 2026 | Strengthening the IKMZ Community 2026 Grant | CHF5'000 |
Teaching
Courses offered at UZH
| Spring 2026 | "Research-in-practice Lab" Kolloquium Nadja Rupprechter (06KO254-BAd) |
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Fall 2025 |
"Not just a Bot! Zur Entstehung parasozialer Beziehungen mit sprachbasierter KI." Research Seminar (06SE254n023a) |
Individual sessions
| December 2025 | "Understanding parasocial encounters." Invited lecture for the seminar Influencers and Digital Health Slides | University of Zurich |
Media Appearances
| September 27, 2025 |
«ChatGPT hat unseren Sohn getötet»: Adam suchte Hilfe – und bekam Suizid-Tipps. Commented on human-chatbot relationships, highlighting how chatbots’ humanlike interactions can create a sense of emotional closeness despite lacking real empathy or awareness. |
Schweiz am Wochenende CHmedia |
| November 27, 2025 |
«Wie einsam sind wir wirklich? Und was hat KI damit zu tun?» Offered insights into loneliness and the growing rise of chatbot companionship. Discussed how increasingly human-like interactions can create a sense of emotional closeness, while emphasizing that chatbots ultimately lack genuine empathy or awareness. |
Die Wienerin Die Bundesländerinnen |
Online
| March 18, 2026 |
«Schweizer Jugendliche kennen kaum mehr ein Leben ohne KI-Chatbots» Offered insights into the growing rise of chatbot companionship. |
Swissinfo |