Presentation

Research Profile

Steno’s research focuses on the navigations, hopes, resources, and overall life situations of vulnerable young people and adults in vulnerable situations suffering from poor well-being. Theoretically rooted in phenomenology, she is especially interested in understanding movements of bodies in and between spaces in institutional settings. As an anthropologist, Steno is methodologically established in ethnographic fieldwork and is an expert on multisensory methods. She is also a recognized writer of fiction and is interested in the ways in which sensory and creative writing may enhance field notes and engage research participants as well as readers in a different way of empathic listening.
Scientific focus areas: vulnerable youth, everyday life, ageing, user involvement
Methodological expertise: ethnography, narrative interviews, research ethics, multisensory methods.

Board positions, membership of academic societies and international relations
2025 Appointed to the Innovation Fund Denmark’s corps of highly recognized researchers. Responsible for research-related evaluations of research applications for the Innovation Fund Denmark.

2024 Expert committee member, Vulnerable children and youth, poor well-being, loneliness and elderly, DFF
2023-2027 Chairman of the Research Ethics Committee of University College Copenhagen
2020- Member of American Anthropological Association (AAA)
2020- Member of European Social Work Research (ESWR)
2021- Editor-in-Chief of the peer-reviewed academic Journal FPPU
2018-2021 Board member of the Danish Association for Social Pedagogy
2019-2023 Editor of the Danish journals of anthropology, Tidsskriftet Antropologi & Jordens Folk
2018- Peer reviewer for a number of international and national journals
2016-2018 Steering committee member of the National Centre for Research on Vulnerability among Children and Youth (NUBU)
2015 Research visit (6 months) at the Centre for Gender Research at Oslo University
2009-2011 Board member of the Danish Anthropological Association
2010 Field work (6 months) at Shamayita Math, India (University of Calcutta)
2008 Field work (6 months) at St Matthews School, Birganj, Bangladesh

Current Ph.d. supervision:

• Katrine Risbank Jensen (DPU): A Family Disabled: Negotiating the Meaning of Disability in the Danish Social Welfare System (bi-vejleder)
• Natasja Eilerskov (RUC): Kan vi samskabe en bedre socialpsykiatri? Borgerperspektiver til lighed og kompetenceudvikling mellem almen praksis og socialpsykiatriske botilbud. (bi-vejleder)
• Tim Vikær Andersen (SDU): Transition og overgange mellem specialpædagogiske ungdomsuddannelsestilbud og beskæftigelse (bi-vejleder)
• Pernille Bülow Pedersen (KU): “Where do we meet?” – A longitudinal case study of age-inclusion in emerging public meeting places as a path to reduce loneliness in later life (bi-vejleder)

Research leadership
2024-2027 Pi of the project: “New relational horizons. Loneliness and belonging among young people in residential care” with Susanne Bregnbæk

2025-2026 Pi of the project: "Songs and aeschetics in praxis" with Ditte Tofteng.

2021-2022 Pi of the project: "Residential Facilities - between Institutions and Homes".

2018-2021 PI of the project: "Legitimacy and Agency".

2016-2018 Pi of the project: "Social Pedagogical Relationship Work Among Young Adults with Psychosocial Problems" with Birgitta Frello.

Selected recent publications

Steno, A.M. (2025) Prisms on loneliness. Qualitative Social Work.

Holen, M., Ringer, H. Steno, A.M. (2025) Troublesome bodies: how bodies come to matter and intrude in eating disorder recovery. Culture, Medicine, and Psychiatry.

Steno, A.M. & Holen, M. (2024) Skyggemøder. Social Kritik.

Steno, A.M. (2024) Ensomhedens mange ansigter. Viden om aldring. Tidsskriftet Gerontologi.

Steno, A.M. & Hauge, S (2024) Stemmer fra socialpsykiatrien. Rettigheder. Ressourcer. Recovery. Samfundslitteratur.

Steno, A.M. (2023) Bodies and orientations. Perspectives and strategies among service users in psychosocial rehabilitation housing facilities in Denmark. Anthropology & Medicine, vol. 30, issue 1.

Steno, A.M. (2023) Social and Spatial Aspects of Loneliness. Challenges to Belong and Acquiring a Sense of Home in a Senior Housing Facility in Denmark Anthropology & Aging. Vol 44. No 3.
 Illness and Medicine. 1-17.

Steno, A.M., & Holen, M. (2023). Unge kvinder på socialpsykiatriske bosteder: – forhandlinger & navigationer på tværs af diagnoser og køn. Forskning I Pædagogers Profession Og Uddannelse, 7(1), 9.

Steno, A.M. (2023) Lyttevandringer. In: Multisensoriske metoder og analyser - til undersøgelser af pædagogiske praksisser. Sauzet & Falkenberg (eds.) Samfundslitteratur.

Steno, A.M. (2023) Udenfor? Fællesskaber og deltagelsesmuligheder på socialpsykiatriske bosteder. I: Fællesskabende praksisser. (Mørch et al. eds.) Dafolo.

Competences

Linguistic competences:
Language: English
Level: Negotiation level
Language: German
Level: Negotiation level
Language: Japaneese
Level: Experienced
Language: Bengali
Level: Experienced

Organisational unit competences:
Project management: Several years of experience
Fundraising: Several years of experience
Management: Several years of experience