معرفی
Professor Bran Knowles is a Professor of Sociotechnical Systems at Lancaster University, appointed through the Data Science Institute with joint appointments to the School of Computing and Communication (50%) and the Lancaster Institute for the Contemporary Arts design group ImaginationLancaster (50%). Her multidisciplinary background spans psychology, sociology, anthropology, and design, with a PhD in Digital Innovation.
Education Background:
- PhD in Digital Innovation
Professor Knowles is a qualitative researcher focusing on trust, privacy, and ethical considerations surrounding data and data systems. Her work explores different aspects of trust through ethnographic case studies, develops conceptual models of trust for developing trusted data systems, and creates practitioner guidelines for trusted system design. She approaches socio-technical systems from a human perspective, applying real-world trust dynamics to technology design. Her research particularly emphasizes aging and technology, sustainable computing, and inclusive design principles that challenge simplistic approaches to accessibility.
Analysis of Professor Knowles' recent publications reveals a strong focus on human-computer interaction with aging populations, trust in AI systems, and sustainable computing practices. Her work bridges multiple disciplines, connecting HCI with social justice, environmental sustainability, and ethical technology design. A significant portion of her recent research examines the intersection of aging and technology, highlighting how older adults navigate technology during the UK cost of living crisis and developing multidimensional approaches that go beyond chronological age metrics.
Professor Knowles leads multiple research projects including DSI: Equity for the Older: Beyond Digital Access (2022-2025), DSI: Trustworthy and Accountable Decision-Making Frameworks for Biodiversity (2022-2026), and Future Places: A Digital Economy Centre on Understanding Place Through Pervasive Computing (2020-2026). Her research funding demonstrates a commitment to addressing critical issues in technology design, particularly regarding aging populations, environmental sustainability, and ethical AI systems.
She is actively involved with the Artificial Intelligence Centre of Excellence in Environmental Data Science and the DSI - Society SCC (Pervasive Systems) research groups, contributing to Lancaster University's Data Science Institute initiatives focused on creating more responsible and trustworthy technology systems.
