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Professor Ann Blandford

Professor of Human–Computer Interaction Location: Room 8.14 University College London Malet Place Engineering Building (8th Floor), UCL, Gower Street - London - WC1E 6BT, U.K Telephone: +44 20 7679 0688 (x 30688) Email: a.blandford at ucl.ac.uk Blog: HCI Sense & Safety

External activities

• Presenting keynote talk at ISIC 2012.
• Vice Chair of IFIP Working Group 2.7/13.4.
• Member of the EPSRC College.
• Visiting Professor at Swansea University and Middlesex University.
• Member of the EU COST Action "TWINTIDE", the UK Visual Analytics Centre (UKVAC), the Cumberland Initiative, and SPIRES (Supporting People who Investigate Research Environments and Spaces).
• On the editorial board of Health Informatics Journal.
• Associate Chair for CHI 2013.

Talks

• Presented Lunch Hour Lecture on human error and device design (UCL, Nov 2011). It's now available on YouTube.
• Presented Pecha Kucha talk on serendipity (UCL, Feb 2012). Available on YouTube.
• Wrote invited commentary on Usability Evaluation for the Interaction-Design.org encyclopaedia.

Brief biography

I am Professor of Human–Computer Interaction in the Department of Computer Science at UCL, and a member of UCL Interaction Centre (UCLIC, jointly supported by the Department of Computer Science and the Division of Psychology and Language Sciences). I was Director of UCLIC 2004-2011.

My first degree is in Mathematics, from Cambridge University, and my PhD is in Artificial Intelligence and Education, from the Open University. I started my career in industry as a software engineer, followed by a period managing the Computer Assisted Teaching Unit at QMUL. I gradually developed a focus on the use and usability of computer systems. In 1991, I joined the Applied Psychology Unit in Cambridge as a research scientist, working on the AMODEUS project. I moved to Middlesex University, initially as a lecturer, and subsequently as Professor and Director of Research in Computing Science. I moved to UCL as a Senior Lecturer in 2002 and became a professor (again) in 2005.

I have been technical programme chair for IHM-HCI 2001, HCI 2006, DSVIS 2006 and NordiCHI2010. I chaired AISB (1997-1999), and was a member of the EPSRC Information and Communications Technologies Strategic Advisory Team (2004-2008). I am a Fellow of the BCS and a member of UKCRC.

Research

My funded work is on evaluating complex systems "in the wild", whether in relation to human error or the use of information within the working context. I take a pragmatic approach to developing and applying theory in practice, recognising and working with the inherent "messiness" of the real world. I am currently UCL Principal Investigator for the following funded projects:

CHI+MED: Computer–Human Interaction for Medical Devices (EPSRC Programme Grant). This is described also in cs4fn.

Healthy Interactive Systems in Healthcare (EPRSC Platform Grant).

SerenA: The Serendipity Arena (EPSRC sandpit project). 

INKE: Implementing New Knowledge Environments (SSHRC Major Collaborative Research Initiatives Program)

Past activities:

• Associate Chair for CHI 2012 and IHI 2012.
• Chair of the CPHC/BCS Distinguished Dissertations panel (2010 & 2011).
• Invited lecturer at DEVISE II Doctoral Training School, 31st October 2011.
• Chaired Visual Analytics Workshop 2011 at UCL.
• Co-chaired workshop on serendipity at Interact 2011.
• Talked at UCL e-Health symposium, 22nd November 2011.

Information on my research (including publications and my team), teaching, and knowledge transfer activities can be found by following the links above.

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