Grounded in human geography, and with a strong commitment to interdisciplinary and collaborative scholarship, I investigate how people experience design and technology in their surroundings, particularly in shared, public spaces and events.

My research takes place in a range of settings, scales and technologies. I have a longstanding research interest in the digital aspects of spatiality, investigating how people understand and imagine technology. A current focus is the use and impact of robots in public space and in everyday life, and the implications for new forms of human-robot collaboration. Previous research on digital spatialities has focused on automated light, the spatial experience of self-tracking and how people make sense of city data. 

Another research interest is in memorial and heritage sites, investigating how their distinct affective and sensory affordances contribute to feelings of identity and collectivity. My reframing of state commemoration foregrounds its experiential aspects, including the contributions of digital technologies, and shows how these complicate its narration and political deployment.

My research is conducted through inventive digital, visual, sensory and design ethnographic methodologies. With colleagues, I have advanced new methodological approaches and applied these widely. I teach this methodology at undergraduate and PhD level, and many of my PhD students also employ this approach. I welcome inquiries from potential PhD students.