Alena Bleicher is a senior sociology researcher. Between 2015 and 2019 she led a research group that investigated social scientific perspectives on technology development for critical raw material extraction at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) in Leipzig, Germany. Her research focuses on societal aspects of technological development in the contexts of geothermal energy systems and raw material provision. She has an interest in questions about non-knowledge in decision making, valorization of secondary raw materials, changing practices, and responsibility in technology development.