Kate Howland

Professor Kate Howland is a Professor of Interaction Design in the Department of Informatics at the University of Sussex's School of Engineering and Informatics. Appointed as a Lecturer in 2013 after completing her PhD and MSc at Sussex, she has established herself as a leading researcher in end-user programming and child-computer interaction. As a member of the Creative Technology Group, she leads the Human-Centred Technology lab and has secured substantial research funding from EPSRC, UKRI, and other major funding bodies.

Her research focuses on enabling non-experts, particularly children and older adults, to participate meaningfully in technology design and programming. Key research areas include:

• End-user programming for smart environments
• Child-computer interaction and educational technology
• Participatory design methodologies
• Interactive storytelling systems
• Technology for autistic children and older adults

Professor Howland has supervised seven PhD students to completion between 2020-2025, with research spanning conversational programming interfaces, gesture-based learning, and motion-based sonic systems for autism support. Her recent publications (2023-2025) show increasing focus on embodied programming concepts, concreteness fading in computing education, and innovative approaches to supporting non-verbal communication through full-body interaction systems.

Professor Howland currently teaches Technology Enhanced Learning Environments and Applications and Implications of Artificial Intelligence, and serves as Course Convenor for the Computer Science (Conversion) MSc. Her active grants include British Academy funding for climate transition research and UKRI support for dementia-focused storytelling projects.

She maintains an active research agenda with strong community engagement components, working directly with user groups often excluded from technology design processes. Her laboratory work emphasizes real-world application and meaningful user involvement throughout the design lifecycle.