Background and research activities

I'm an interdisciplinary researcher with interests spanning cognitive science, computing and social science, and would probably be best described as a 'user studies' researcher. I originally trained as a psychologist (BA (Hons.), Cardiff University), a cognitive scientist (MSc, Cardiff), and an interdisciplinary PhD (Brunel), having worked at a variety of places along the way, including Goldsmiths College (London), Hewlet-Packard Research Labs (Bristol), Stanford University (USA), the Appliance Studio (Bristol) and Stockholm University.

 

Most of my recent research has revolved around the use of mobile information and communications technology, and in the use and design of ubiquitous/pervasive computing and networked information appliances. I'm also involved in investigating collaboration and artefact use through the use of distributed cognition, with the applied aim of supporting the design of groupware and CSCW technologies. Ethnography and ethnographically-informed research techniques are central to my work and I have used them extensively in most of my research. For more information on these topics please look at my news, research projects and selected publications. I've published quite a lot, so not everything is listed, but it should give a good flavour of what I do.

 

I have been an ACM CHI Associate Chair (2007, 2009, 2010, 2012), and Subcommittee Chair (2010), and have also been involved in committee work for a number of other conferences (MobileHCI, ECSCW, ACM SIGDOC, AutomotiveUI, BCS HCI), and regularly review for journals including the International Journal of Human Computer Studies, ACM Transactions on Human-Computer Interaction and Computer Supported Co-operative Work. I review and act as a rapporteur for UK research councils (EPSRC, ESRC and AHRC), and as a visiting expert reviewer for the Research Council of Norway. I have been a member of the SALTSA ‘Mobile Virtual Work’ group, which advised the Swedish trade unions and government agencies on the future of mobile technology in transforming work. I am regularly asked to speak at external events, such as the Department for Transport, the Bartlett School of Architecture and the Interactive Institute in Stockholm. Over the last few years, I have held funding from a number of different research bodies and industry, including the EPSRC, RCUK, Microsoft Research, the Appliance Studio, the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Vodafone Foundation. I collaborate widely with colleagues, and have held a Guest Professorship at DSV, Stockholm University, a Visiting Fellowship in the Department of Computer Science at Bristol University, and Visiting Scholar post at Stanford University.

 

I have extensive responsibilities and experience in undergraduate and postgraduate teaching and academic administration. I have been module leader of the project team for the department (BSc, MSc, MTech and MRes), and I currently supervise a number of PhD students across a range of areas. In addition to my work at Brunel, I lead an undergraduate course component in Human-Computer Interaction with the University of London external degree programme. I have been an external examiner for Lancaster and Middlesex Universities, and have acted as an external PhD examiner in the UK and abroad. I am co-director of the People and Interactivity (pandi) Univerisity Research Centre at Brunel, which has 12 faculty members and is focused around HCI research.

Consultancy

Brunel allows me to work for external organisations in a consulting capacity. I have consulted for, or have close professional contacts with several organisations, including Microsoft Research, Symbian Ltd., the BBC, The Appliance Studio Ltd., Hewlett-Packard, Orange S.A., Huntleigh Diagnostics Plc., British Telecom, Plextech, BICC Multimedia Communications Group, Ove Arup and Partners Communications Group, Telephonica (Spain), Balfour Beatty, Stent, Bovis, Institut Cerda (Spain), Frauenhofer Institute (Germany), Digital Worlds Research Centre (Surrey University), Glasgow Interactive Systems Group (Glasgow University).

I am especially interested in working on projects involving user studies and interface design for mobile technologies and ubiquitous/pervasive computing. Our group here has the experience and resources to undertake most aspects of design - ethnographic fieldwork, developing requirements, in prototyping and evaluation, and we can undertake a range of different kinds of work in these areas. If you are interested in working with us, please contact me at the address above.

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