Sandra Gaudenzi

Dr Sandra Gaudenzi is a globally recognized academic and practitioner in interactive narratives, particularly in interactive documentaries (i-docs). She holds a Visiting Professor role at the University of Westminster, where she co-leads the Digital and Interactive Storytelling LAB MA program. She also serves as a Visiting Fellow at the Digital Cultures Research Centre (UWE, UK), co-directing the i-Docs conference and co-editing the foundational text i-docs: The Evolving Practices of Interactive Documentary. Her professional background spans factual television production and over two decades of research, teaching, and consulting in digital storytelling.

Gaudenzi's research focuses on interaction design in digital narratives, storytelling ideation processes, and co-creative methodologies. Notable projects include the Corona Haikus collaborative pandemic response project and her role as Creative Director of the BBC Taster's DigitalMe interactive experience. Her PhD, The Living Documentary, explores participatory reality co-creation in digital documentaries.

She has presented at over 30 international conferences since 2013, including talks on AR in crisis communication, immersive trends, and ethical AI in storytelling. Gaudenzi pioneered the !F Lab training initiative (2015–2018), developing the WHAT IF IT ideation process for interactive narratives, documented in her !F Lab Field Guide. Her work bridges academic research with industry practice through workshops, symposia, and collaborative productions across Europe and South America.