Max Robotics — Global Service Robot Directory + US Certification

About

Nora Germundsson is an emerging researcher specializing in digital automation, social welfare administration, and public sector innovation, with a particular focus on the intersection of technology and social services in Scandinavia. Her work examines how Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is being adopted within Swedish personal social services, interrogating both its practical implementation and its broader implications for vulnerable populations relying on social assistance. Germundsson's most cited work, "Automating social assistance" (2023, 13 citations), broke new ground by investigating how RPA operates at the client level — an area previously underexplored in European welfare research. Her subsequent studies build systematically on this foundation, exploring how automation reshapes conceptualizations of social assistance delivery, administrative efficiency, and frontline social work practice. Notably, her research challenges politically endorsed narratives that frame digitalization as straightforwardly reducing administrative burden, revealing more complex tensions around standardization, transparency, and professional discretion. With a growing body of work accumulating over 26 citations across just four publications, Germundsson is establishing herself as a critical voice in debates around welfare-state digitalization. Her bilingual scholarship — spanning both English and Swedish — demonstrates a commitment to engaging both international academic audiences and domestic policy communities directly shaping Sweden's social services landscape.