A watercolor of Sam. Sam is a white male with glasses and brown hair, he is sitting in a chair in an orange sweater, and is gesturing in a "hello, come sit with me" kind of way

Hello and welcome!

My name is Sam Ankenbauer, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Michigan School of Information, advised by Robin Brewer. I am a sociotechnical scholar in the fields of CSCW (computer-supported cooperative work) and HCI (human-computer interaction), with some of my work undertaken in the areas of STS (science and technology studies) and digital curation.

My research emphasizes how older adults and communities navigate and maintain shared cultural, informational, and care systems amid disruption and precarity.

Recently, I investigate scams targeting older adults with the aim of understanding the complex social, affective, and material consequences of these incidents and their aftermath. I critically examine how normative expectations of trust and justice are disrupted and reconfigured in environments characterized by the pervasive presence of scams.

You can hear me weekly as a DJ on WCBN FM, 88.3. I am also on Ann Arbor’s public access channel CTN each month as a commissioner on the city’s Commission on Disability Issues.