• Dr. Nelli Holopainen
  • Research Fellow
  • Queensland University of Technology (QUT)
Nelli Holopainen is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the ARC Centre of Excellence for the Digital Child, working with Professor Margot Brereton. Her current research interests include exploring how children engage with AI and digital technologies through storytelling and narrative-based methods, with a focus on fostering agency, ethical awareness, and nature connection.

She draws on a background in software development, project management, and Human–Computer Interaction (HCI), with a particular interest in value-sensitive design. Nelli recently completed her PhD at QUT, where she co-designed augmented reality applications to support gender diversity in STEM higher education. Her work has been published and presented in national venues and contributes to understanding how AR can foster empathy, storytelling, and agency through participatory design.

She also co-authored a successful infrastructure grant for the ARDC Planet Project, supporting the development of Open Ecoacoustics, a platform for managing and analysing environmental sound data. In her previous role as a project manager, she worked across interdisciplinary teams to bridge technical and community needs.