Dunja Wackers is a postdoctoral researcher in the research group Quantum & Society (part of Science Communication and Society, IBL, and LION). She is a linguist specialised in argumentation analysis and metaphor analysis. Her current research focuses on the use of metaphors in popular-scientific communication on quantum science and technology.

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Dunja Wackers is a linguist specialised in argumentation analysis and metaphor analysis.

Her current research focuses on the analysis of metaphors in popular-scientific communication about quantum science and technology.

Metaphors function as conceptual tools that can convey relatively abstract or complicated concepts in more concrete, accessible ways. Moreover, metaphors can ‘frame’ a topic in different ways, highlighting some aspects and backgrounding others.

Quantum technology is an emerging field of science that will have an increasingly large impact on society, and both quantum physicists and laypeople will benefit if its core concepts and potential influence on our everyday lives are communicated in a clear and effective manner. 

Mapping the metaphors that reflect and facilitate different understandings of quantum science and technology can provide important insights into the impact these metaphors may have on non-expert attitudes and engagement towards quantum. Such insights may in turn be translatable into practical applications for enhanced communication between experts and non-experts.