Caroline Pelletier

Caroline Pelletier is Professor of Culture and Communication in the Department of Culture, Communication and Media at the UCL Institute of Education, University College London. She has held academic appointments at UCL since 2017, first as Reader and then, from August 2024, as Professor. Her work is centrally concerned with how emerging technologies reshape workplaces and work practices, approached through ethnographic and psychosocial lenses.

Education & Appointments

• Professor of Culture and Communication, UCL Institute of Education, University College London (2024–present)
• Reader in Culture and Communications, UCL Institute of Education (2017–2023)

Research Interests

Pelletier’s research integrates cultural studies, linguistic ethnography, and the social study of technology. She explores how technologies mediate experiences of time, gender, and power in diverse organisational settings such as indie videogame studios, NHS hospitals, and schools. A recurrent theme is the democratisation of work and learning through playful and participatory uses of technology. Methodologically, her work is rooted in long-term ethnographic engagement, emphasising naturalistic observation and participatory inquiry.

Current strands of inquiry include:

• Temporalities of creative labour in game development
• Ethics and affect in simulation-based medical education
• Co-production and participatory design with marginalised groups
• Gender, play, and inequality in digital cultures

Scientific Awards & Recognition

• UCL Student Union Roll of Honour for Teaching (2023)
• UCL Student Union Roll of Honour for Teaching (2024)

Research Funding & Impact

Her projects have been supported by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), the London Deanery, and various charitable bodies. She has provided consultancy to governmental and international NGOs on technology-enhanced learning and workplace reform. Findings have influenced policy and practice in medical education, game-based learning, and inclusive technology design.

Teaching & Doctoral Supervision

Pelletier teaches on multiple MA programmes, notably Education and Technology, and has extensive experience supervising PhD and EdD students. She welcomes prospective doctoral researchers interested in ethnographies of media and work, discourse analysis, educational technology, feminist methodologies, and simulation studies.