How can immersive work environments be used effectively for specific tasks – and what impact do they have on the quality of working life? Thomas Paetow, a research assistant at the Business School at Wismar University of Applied Sciences, addressed these questions in his doctoral thesis. On 25 September 2026, he successfully defended his thesis at Philipps University of Marburg, graduating with the distinction of magna cum laude.
The research in his cumulative doctoral thesis, ‘Immersive Work Environments and the Quality of Working Life: A Sociotechnical Perspective’, was conducted from a sociotechnical perspective. This is based on sociotechnical systems theory, which does not view work in isolation but understands it as an interplay between technology, work tasks, people and organisational structures. The research examines, on the one hand, the extent to which immersive technologies are suitable for carrying out specific work tasks. On the other hand, it considers selected aspects of the quality of working life, including mental health and workplace design.
The PhD was carried out as part of a collaborative partnership between Philipps University of Marburg and Wismar University of Applied Sciences. The principal supervisor was Prof. Dr Michael Leyer, Professor of Digitalisation and Process Management at Philipps University of Marburg. At Wismar University of Applied Sciences, the doctoral project was supervised by Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Marianne Schmolke. She is Professor of Business Informatics, specialising in business processes and software architectures, and Vice-Rector for Education at Wismar University of Applied Sciences.
For Dr. rer. pol. Thomas Paetow, the completion of his doctoral thesis marks the conclusion of another important phase in his academic career. His academic connection to Wismar University of Applied Sciences dates back to his undergraduate studies. In 2018, he obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration there, followed by his Master’s degree in 2020. Since then, he has been working as a research assistant at the university’s Business School, involved in both research and teaching – and will continue in this role even after completing his PhD, until the end of the year.
His academic work has already received several accolades. Paetow’s Master’s thesis was awarded the Gottlob Frege Prize in 2021. Also in 2021, he was awarded the Best Student Paper Award at the KES-HCIS Conference. This was followed in 2023 by an online scholarship from e-fellows.net. For his work as a reviewer, he also received the Outstanding Reviewer Award at the Emerald Literati Awards 2025.
We offer our warmest congratulations to Thomas Paetow and wish him every success in his future endeavours, continued enjoyment of research and teaching, and an enduring curiosity about the questions that will shape the working world of tomorrow.