Ruth Stalker-Firth, PhD (EPFL), fascinated by how people use technology, and vice-versa.
Hello, my name is Ruth, I write about technology and storytelling as, for me, they are inextricably linked to understanding ourselves and the world around us. I’ve been online since 1995 and blogging here since 2007. This site gets ~1.2 million hits a year.
Having worked as a web designer, interaction design consultant (IxD and UX) and programmer, for a wide range of companies, including my own, since 1996, I firmly believe that good human-computer interaction (HCI) is the key to making us all happier with our computers, so that we can use them to solve the problems that will make life better for everyone.
I became a university lecturer in 2001 and over the years (at Lancaster, Westminster and Birkbeck, University of London), I have taught HCI, artificial intelligence (AI), cognitive science, biometrics, IT security, and web technologies at BSc and MSc level.
Originally from Middlesbrough, my love of computing began as an undergraduate at Liverpool John Moore’s University with a year as a systems/support analyst at ICI Runcorn followed by AI at Aberdeen University and the Université Savoie Mont Blanc. After which I worked as a GUI programmer and PhD student in HCI, AI and, big data at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL). I also have postgraduate diplomas in journalism (London School of Journalism), teaching (Lancaster) and virtual reality (EPFL).
I live and work in London. I teach HCI online on Udemy. I give talks demystifying AI and humanising technology to various organisations including the Women’s Institute (WI) and the WI Learning Hub. And, I am a reviewer of research proposals for institutions such as Gt Ormond St Hospital and the EPSRC. I am also a parent governor at Gt Ormond St Hospital.
I speak fluent French, terrible Italian, and Duolingo Dutch. I love rollerskating and yoga, which I have been practising in one form or another since I was eight-years-old.
Last updated: 20th November 2024