Lesley Gourlay

Lesley Gourlay is a Professor of Education at the IOE - Culture, Communication & Media, part of University College London. She has held leadership roles including Director of the Academic Writing Centre (2010-2020) and Head of the Department of Culture, Communication and Media (2014-2018).

• Research Focus: Science and Technology Studies in Education, Posthuman Theory, Sociomaterialism, Digital Engagement
• Awards: Leverhulme Major Research Fellowship (2021-2025) for 'The Datafied University'

Her publications explore postdigital education, algorithmic governance, and digital performativity. Recent work includes the open-access monograph The University and the Algorithmic Gaze (2025) and co-editing the Palgrave Handbook of Science and Technology Studies in Education. She is currently working on two forthcoming monographs: The University and the Writing Machine and Weave: The Making of Meaning.

Lesley's scientific contributions analyze digital education through postphenomenological, sociomaterial, and posthumanist lenses. Key themes include learning analytics, AI's role in education, and the materiality of digital practices. Her work challenges binary distinctions between online/campus education and human/nonhuman agency.

Collaboration Network: Extensive co-authorships with scholars like Petar Jandrić, Clara O’Shea, and Martin Oliver. She co-organizes the UK-wide Digital University Network and contributes to journals such as Postdigital Science and Education and Educational Philosophy and Theory.