My time as UCLIC director

I joined UCLIC as the director back in September 2011. I decided to step down at the end of 2025 as I realized I had been in the role for over 14 years! The reason for being in post for such a long time, is that unlike being a head of department or a dean - which usually has a tenure of 5 years - I was hired with no predesignated end date. As of January 2026, Nadia Berthouze was appointed as the incoming UCLIC director. I am sure she will do a fantastic job. I also decided it was a good time to step down from being a deputy head of department for UCL Computer Science, which I have also been for 12 years.  

During my time as UCLIC director, I helped grow the centre to what it has become today -  a world- leading centre of HCI excellence, comprising 25 academics from a diversity of backgrounds. When I first started, we taught one MSc in HCI. We now offer 3 taught Postgraduate MSc courses (HCI; Disability, Design and Innovation; and Systems Engineering for the Internet of Things) alongside having a thriving PhD programme. Getting a place on one of our courses has become highly competitive as increasing number of students from all over the world want to study with us.  It has been wonderful to see this growth and expansion in our education. 

I am also amazed at just how many areas of research my colleagues are working on, covering the breadth and depth of HCI, including accessibility, acoustic holography, affective computing, ageing and technology, behavioural change, comfort AI, cities, cybersecurity, digital mental health, healthcare, human-centred AI, human-robot interaction, multisensory interfaces, future of work, social justice and more. I have, myself, been involved in a number of collaborative projects over the years, including managing a 5-year, multi-site, Intel-funded research centre (ICRI) on sustainable and connected cities while being a partner on several large European funded networks and projects concerned with healthcare, education and AI.

What am I most proud of? 

Many things including:

• hiring a fantastic group of academics with a rich diversity of backgrounds, from the social to technical
• mentoring and nurturing students and staff
• collaborating with others in industry, government and academia, local and global
• seeing my vision for UCLIC become a reality
• helping raise the profile of research in HCI at UCL
• promoting human-centred AI @ UCL
• inspiring my colleagues and students to dream
• creating a healthy vibe and culture at UCLIC

• enjoying a sense of camaraderie when we go to the annual CHI conference

   

The book

Somehow, I have also found time to update a co-authored textbook on ‘Interaction Design’ during my time at UCL. Next year, the 7th edition will be coming out. It will have been 21 years in the making. As both my co-authors (Jenny Preece and Helen Sharp) have now retired, we decided it was time to hand over the baton to younger folk. We are hugely grateful to Jen Pearson and Thomas Reitmaier, from Swansea University, who agreed to take it on. We are currently working with them, showing them the ropes, as they update the next edition – then after that it will be just them as the co-authors. 

What next?

I must admit I am a bit sad to be stepping down and handing over so much of what has been an integral part of my academic life. But it feels the right thing to do now. In case you are wondering, I am not retiring, just returning to being a full professor, working on my latest research projects, sitting on various committees, advising others, doing more stuff for the community, giving keynotes and continuing to mentor. 

What am I looking forward to doing?

Getting my weekends back, reading the pile of books on my desk, conjuring up new research ideas, and spending time visiting other universities during a well-earned sabbatical.