Three Months as UCLIC Director by Nadia Berthouze

It has now been three months since I took on the role of Director of UCLIC (UCL Interaction Centre), and it has been a rewarding and energising start. Having previously served as Deputy Director for a number of years, I have long been closely involved in the life of the centre. Stepping into the Director role, however, brings with it a broader sense of responsibility and a new perspective on how we can continue to shape UCLIC’s future, both within UCL and in engagement with the wider research, industry, and society.

First and foremost, I would like to express my sincere thanks to Yvonne Rogers for her outstanding leadership and contributions over the past 14 years. During this time, she has played a pivotal role in the growth of UCLIC and in strengthening its national and international standing. I would also like to thank her predecessor, Ann Blandford, who has created the strong foundation for UCLIC to continue to thrive. Their commitment, vision, and care for the department have helped make UCLIC what it is today, and I am very grateful to be building on that legacy.

UCLIC is uniquely positioned to address some of the most pressing questions of our time, from the societal implications of AI to the design of technologies that support human values, wellbeing, security and sustainability. What makes this especially compelling is the strength of its community: a group of researchers, educators, and students working at the intersection of people and technology, whose leadership, commitment, and creativity continue to shape the field of Human–Computer Interaction. Their contributions span diverse areas, including digital health, human–AI interaction, multisensory design, and novel forms of hardware, while also redefining what inclusive technology can be. I am excited by the opportunity to build on this momentum, deepening engagement with these challenges and supporting and extending the reach and impact of this work in meaningful ways.

Looking ahead

As Director, my aim is to support UCLIC in continuing to thrive as a leading centre for HCI research and education. A key to achieving this aim is ensuring that our community remains a place where people feel supported, valued, and able to thrive and where researchers what to come. I am committed to fostering an inclusive, collaborative, and intellectually ambitious environment, while also strengthening how we connect and collaborate with partners beyond academia.

Looking ahead, I see several key priorities. One is to continue strengthening our research excellence while supporting emerging areas and new collaborations, both across UCL and with external partners in academia, industry, and the public sector. Another is to further enhance our teaching and student experience, ensuring it reflects the creativity and interdisciplinarity that define UCLIC. We currently run three highly successful MSc programmes, and I aim to support their continued development, innovation, and accessibility to a diverse body of students to ensure we contribute to create the new minds of the future ready to have an impact both in industry and in academy.

I am also keen to ensure that UCLIC continues to play a key role across the two faculties it bridges, Brain Sciences and Engineering. This truly interdisciplinary positioning is what makes UCLIC distinctive, enabling us to combine insights from computing, psychology, design, and beyond, to address complex real-world challenges together with our colleagues across disciplines.

While these first three months have already been incredibly valuable, I see them very much as the beginning of an ongoing process of listening and learning, as I develop a vision for the next three years and help lay the foundations for the future. I look forward to continuing conversations with colleagues, students, collaborators, and partners, and to working together to create new opportunities for UCLIC and its wider community.