PeopleofSuperintelligence

Researcher

Elisa D. Mekler

Elisa D. Mekler is an HCI researcher whose work on user experience, design theory and human autonomy connects to questions raised by ubiquitous AI. Her early work examines how game mechanics shape performance and motivation, and how researchers measure game enjoyment. She earns a PhD in cognitive psychology from the University of Basel, joins Aalto as an assistant professor in 2019, and moves to ITU in 2022 with the ERC-funded Theorycraft project. As of October 2026, she is an associate professor in ITU's Play, Culture, and AI section, studying motivational and emotional aspects of games and user experience.

Timeline

  1. 2013

    A test of gamification

    In 2013, Mekler coauthors an online experiment on points, levels and leaderboards in an image-annotation task. The elements increase performance without changing measured intrinsic motivation, perceived autonomy or competence.

  2. 2014

    A review of game enjoyment

    In 2014, she coauthors a systematic review of 87 quantitative studies on game enjoyment, its measures and determinants, and its links with flow, presence and immersion.

  3. By 2019

    PhD in cognitive psychology

    By 2019, she holds a PhD in cognitive psychology from the University of Basel.

  4. 2019

    Assistant professor at Aalto

    In 2019, Mekler joins Aalto's Computer Science Department as an assistant professor after postdoctoral research and managing Basel's HCI research group.

  5. 2022

    Theorycraft receives ERC funding

    In 2022, she leads Theorycraft, an ERC-funded project that develops methods to translate psychological theories into games research and design practice.

  6. September 2022

    Joining ITU's HCDS group

    In September 2022, she joins ITU's Human-Centered Data Science group as an assistant professor.

  7. 2023

    Reviewing HCI autonomy

    In 2023, Mekler coauthors a review of 30 years of HCI research on human agency and autonomy. It identifies open issues and future directions, and says ubiquitous AI makes these questions more pressing.

  8. As of October 2026

    Associate professor at ITU

    As of October 2026, she is an associate professor at ITU in Play, Culture, and AI. Her research examines motivational and emotional aspects of games and user experience.

Career

  1. Since 2022IT University of CopenhagenAssistant Professor, Associate Professor
  2. From 2019Aalto UniversityAssistant Professor

Education

  1. University of BaselPhD

From the biography.

  1. More people shaping AI studied at Massachusetts Institute of Technology than at any other institutionIncludes IT University of Copenhagen. We estimate where the people shaping AI studied and where their careers led. Massachusetts Institute of Technology leads with 467 former students, including 291 recorded doctorates.
  2. The company share of AI researchers’ top papers was 31% in 2020–2024 and 8% in 1970–1974Includes IT University of Copenhagen. We estimate where the people shaping AI worked when their most-cited papers appeared: the company share was 31% in 2020–2024 and 8% in 1970–1974, and Google led all organizations in 2020–2024.
  3. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology trained or employed 44 of the 187 AI major-prize winners, more than any other universityIncludes Aalto University. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology trained or employed 44 of the 187 AI major-prize winners, more than any other university. We compare doctorate and 5+ year employment links, career timing and current workplaces for 187 major-prize and 1,111 best-paper winners.
  4. The United States employs an estimated 48% of people shaping AIIncludes Aalto University. We estimate where the people shaping AI work today, how universities, companies and research institutes split across countries, and how country shares have changed since the 1960s.

Colleagues

People with dated positions at the same organization in the same years.

Sources and credits

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  1. Do points, levels and leaderboards harm intrinsic motivation? An empirical analysis of common gamification elements researchprofiles.ku.dk. Checked 22 October 2026.
  2. A systematic review of quantitative studies on the enjoyment of digital entertainment games research.aalto.fi. Checked 22 October 2026.
  3. Assistant Professor Elisa Mekler: Gaming can help to cope with difficult life situations and improve one’s wellbeing aalto.fi. Checked 22 October 2026.
  4. Harnessing psychological theory for better video games aalto.fi. Checked 22 October 2026.
  5. Elisa Mekler — IT University of Copenhagen researcher.itu.dk. Checked 22 October 2026.
  6. We’re excited to welcome Dr. Elisa Mekler, who joins the HCDS group from today as Assistant Professor. hcds.itu.dk. Checked 22 October 2026.
  7. How does HCI Understand Human Autonomy and Agency? arxiv.org. Checked 22 October 2026.