CrimSL welcomes new visiting postdoctoral research fellow Dr. Stefano Mazzilli Daechsel!
Dr. Mazzilli Daechsel joins us April 15-25, 2025 from the University of Oslo, where he is a postdoctoral research fellow at the Institute for Criminology and Sociology of Law.
Although this is not his first time in Toronto, it is his first visit to U of T.
He says, "I was born down the road at Mount Sinai Hospital and went to high school near Carlton and Jarvis so I’m a Toronto native. That said, I left Canada many years ago for my undergrad and have only been back to visit family so this is actually my first time at a Canadian university."
"I had the pleasure of meeting Professor Kelly Hannah-Moffat during a previous trip to Toronto. We reconnected when she visited my department in Oslo for a workshop last year and I since had it as a goal to visit CrimSL to connect with the many interesting researchers based here," he explains.
The CrimSL community is invited to say hello to Dr. Mazzilli Daechsel at the centre. His office is CG 257.
On Thursday, April 24, Mazzilli Daechsel will present "Digital Criminology meets DNA," which will be followed by a discussion of CrimSL research around digital data, AI and technology. CrimSL Professor Kelly Hannah-Moffat will moderate and CrimSL PhD candidate Jamie Duncan will act as a discussant at this event.
He says, "The workshop will focus on the research I’ve conducted as part of the ERC-funded project ‘Digital DNA’ (PI Prof Mareile Kaufmann). The topics I’ll cover are quite wide ranging, from DNA-based biotechnologies to the history of genetics research in criminology, but the overarching theme is the emergent subfield of digital criminology. I’m mostly excited to hear about other people’s projects and how they relate to digital criminology. I look forward to seeing where the conversation leads us.
"In the days I’ll be visiting, I hope to get a feel for the centre, and the workshop on the 24th will be an opportunity to present aspects of my postdoctoral research and learn more about related projects at CrimSL," he says.
"I would like to thank Professor Kelly Hannah-Moffat for facilitating this stay and Professor Kamari Clarke for her support. I would also like to thank Rebecca Melville and Meng Xiao for all their work and assistance. Finally, a special thank you to Jihyun Kwon for organizing the workshop," says Mazzilli Daechsel.
Short biography
Stefano Mazzilli Daechsel is a postdoctoral research fellow at the Institute for Criminology and Sociology of Law at the University of Oslo. As part of the ERC-funded project "Digital DNA" (PI Prof Mareile Kaufmann), Stefano’s research critically examines the intersections of biotechnology, genetics research, and criminology. He is currently working on a genealogical study of genetic research in biosocial criminology in the latter half of the twentieth century. In 2019, Stefano earned a joint doctorate in cultural and global criminology from the University of Kent and the University of Hamburg. His work frequently ventures beyond the conventional boundaries of criminology into the fields of science and technology studies and the philosophy of technology.
Please join us in welcoming Dr. Stefano Mazzilli Daechsel!