Rebekah Cupitt

Rebekah Cupitt is a Lecturer at the School of Creative Arts, Culture and Communication, Birkbeck, University of London. She holds a PhD in Human-Computer Interaction, with expertise in mediated communication, disability-centred design, and socio-cultural implications of technology. Her research examines how technology shapes communication in Swedish Sign Language and influences deaf identity performances, adopting post-human and anti-normative approaches to critique techno-utopian assumptions.

Education:

• BA (University of Queensland, Australia)
• MA in Social Anthropology (Stockholm University, Sweden)
• PhD in Human-Computer Interaction (specializing in Mediated Communication)

Research Interests: Rebekah explores technology’s role in everyday life, focusing on disability inclusion, digital media anthropology, and anti-normative design. Her work challenges normative assumptions in technology design by centering marginalized experiences, particularly in video-mediated communication systems.

Supervision & Teaching: Currently supervises 4 doctoral researchers at Birkbeck, including Daria Ponomareva (thesis: Embodiment of the Futuristic Otherness: Disability and Performative Able-bodiedness of Cyborgs in Video Games) and Emily Rustin. Teaches modules like Digital Culture, Web Development, and Designing Interactions.

Labs & Affiliations: Co-Director of Birkbeck Interdisciplinary Research in Media and Culture (BIRMaC), fostering cross-disciplinary media studies. Active in publishing and editing on topics like technology ethics and inclusive design.