Sarah Matthews

Sarah Matthews is an Associate Professor in the School of Information Systems within the Faculty of Creative Industries, Education & Social Justice at Queensland University of Technology (QUT). Her research focuses on the intersection of Human-Computer Interaction and Educational Technology, with particular emphasis on designing technologies for young children's learning experiences. She leads a productive research program that combines theoretical insights with practical design applications.

Her research interests span Child-Computer Interaction, Tangible User Interfaces, Computational Thinking Education, and Early Childhood Educational Technology. Dr. Matthews employs participatory design methods, often working directly with children, educators, and speech language pathologists to develop technologies that address real-world educational challenges. Her work demonstrates how physical-digital manipulatives can enhance learning experiences, particularly in early childhood education settings.

Analysis of her recent publications reveals a strong focus on designing technologies that support children's collaborative making activities, language development, and computational thinking skills. Her research shows how embodied interaction principles can be applied to create educational tools that are both engaging and pedagogically sound. The work often bridges theoretical HCI concepts with practical educational applications, resulting in tangible design outcomes.

• Recipient of multiple research grants for child-centered technology design
• Active participant in major HCI conferences including CHI, TEI, and DIS
• Collaborates extensively with interdisciplinary teams across education, health, and technology domains

Dr. Matthews has successfully supervised numerous graduate students and early-career researchers, with several of her former advisees continuing to collaborate on research projects. Her work has established important design principles for creating technologies that respect children's agency while supporting specific learning goals. Current research directions include exploring how reflexive design practices can address cross-cultural considerations in educational technology.