My research focuses on the intersection of technology, crime and security. I study how new and emerging technologies may impact people's lives and society using qualitative methods. My most recent work concerns automated social security and automated affect recognition. 

I am interested in receiving proposals from potential PhD students in the field of crime, technology and security.

Lena's research interests lie in criminology and in Science and Technology Studies (STS) with a particular interest in how crime and technology intersect. Among the topics she has previously researched are automated affect recognition, smart home technologies and policing, automated social security, and algorithmic bias and transparency.

In relation to automated affect recognition she explored the problems and threats associated with using technologies that claim to detect people's emotions or intentions in crime prevention and policing.

As part of the Emotional AI in Cities research project funded by UKRI-JST Joint Call on Artificial Intelligence and Society she co-authored papers on the use of smart-home technologies in police investigations and evidence procedures, and on the potential role of artificial agents in online radicalisation. 

While working on the project Automating Universal Credit she worked with Dr Morgan Currie at the University of Edinburgh on investigating the lived experiences of Universal Credit recipients through a novel, qualitative longitudinal study. The research focussed on the automated and digital aspects of social security and identified various issues, including the punitive nature of the strict timeframes imposed on recipients. The Guardian reported findings from the project related to errors by the automated system. 

She also worked on the CyCAT (Cyprus Centre for Algorithmic Transparency) EU Horizon 2020 Twinning Project where she conducted research on algorithmic bias and transparency.

Dr Podoletz currently teaches on the following modules:

• Cybercrime and cybercriminality
• Criminological thought
• Criminological research in practice
• Contemporary crime problems
• Crime and criminal justice in the 21st century

Dr Podoletz is currently the Pathway Representative in the Law School for AHRC NWCDTP Law Pathway and for ESRC NWSSDTP Socio-Legal Studies Pathway.

Before coming to Lancaster Lena worked as a Research Fellow in Automated Universal Credit at STIS (Science, Technology and Innovation Studies) at the University of Edinburgh. Prior to this she was a Research Fellow in Emotional AI and Smart Cities at the School of Law, University of Edinburgh and a Research Assistant at the School of Informatics also at the University of Edinburgh.