Carey Jewitt

Professor Carey Jewitt is a leading academic in digital communication and multimodal interaction, holding a position at the UCL Knowledge Lab within the IOE - Faculty of Education and Society. Her work explores how digital technologies reshape touch, interaction, and learning. She leads the ERC-funded IN-TOUCH project investigating digital touch communication and previously directed the MODE project advancing multimodal research methods. Jewitt’s research spans education, healthcare, and industry, emphasizing interdisciplinary collaboration across computer science, sociology, and the arts.

Key roles include Chair of UCL’s Collaborative Social Science Domain and Director of the UCL Knowledge Lab. She has authored foundational texts like Introducing Multimodality (2016) and secured prestigious grants from the ERC and ESRC. Her work bridges theory and practice, addressing societal impacts of digital touch in healthcare, education, and everyday life.

Research interests focus on multimodal communication, digital touch, sensory ethnography, and educational technology. Notable outputs include studies on tactile emoticons, industrial robotics, and pandemic-era remote touch practices. She collaborates with engineers, designers, and artists to develop innovative methodologies, such as combining ethnography with haptic prototyping.

Awards include the ERC Consolidator Grant and UK Research Council Academic Fellowship. Her lab’s work addresses ethical and design challenges in emerging touch technologies while advocating for inclusive, multimodal approaches to digital interaction.