- Professor of Human-Computer Interaction
- Pronouns: she/her/hers
- UCL profile
- Twitter @AnnaCox
- Google scholar
Email Policy
- My working day may not be your working day. I work flexibly and sometimes send emails at odd times. Please do not feel obliged to reply to my emails outside of your normal working hours.
- See my Email Charter
Research
The eWorkResearch group at UCL Interaction Centre (UCLIC) is an interdisciplinary team of experts researching the use of digital technology to support work, health and wellbeing. Guided by Feminist HCI and Value Sensitive Design we promote the co-creation and design of digital technologies and services that support a fairer, more inclusive and equitable society. We work with a broad range of stakeholders including knowledge workers and gigworkers.
Our current projects focus on designing AI-enabled technologies to meet the needs of academics and university students, particularly those from marginalised groups, in the following areas:
- Getting Things Done in the Future of eWork: Exploring technologies that enhance work productivity and support people in getting work done efficiently.
- Work-Life Balance & Wellbeing: Designing technologies to improve work-related wellbeing, focusing on break-taking, post-work recovery, stress management, and work-life balance.
- Digital Health: Innovating technologies that support personal health management, empowering individuals to take control of their health and wellbeing.
- Current opportunities to join my group are advertised here together with guidance for applicants
- Our code of conduct and ways of working document is available online.
Funded projects
- Unseen Work: Leveraging Generative AI for Invisible Academic Labour 2024-2025 UCL Research Culture
- Promoting Inclusive Research Practices 2024 UCL Grand Challenges
- Research Compliance Buddy 2023-2024
- Conceptualising and measuring digital emotion regulation (Australian Research Council) AU$410,000. 2019-2022
- Adolescent Mental Health and Development in the Digital World (MRC) MR/T046864/1 2020-2021
- GetAMoveOn: transforming health through enabling mobility (EPSRC) EP/N027299/1 £923,685 2016-2021
- Open3D: Collaborative Editing for 3D Virtual Worlds (EPSRC) EP/M013685/1. £712,097. 2015-2018 (Co-I)
- C-PLACID: Computational PLatform for Assessment of Cognition In Dementia (EPSRC) EP/M006093/1. £1,430,004. 2015-2018. (Co-I)
- Media Multitasking in New Broadcasting System Content Experiences. EPSRC & BBC Studentship.£100,000, 2014-18. (Co-I)
- ECLIPSE: Exploring the Current Landscape of Intravenous Infusion Practices & Errors (NIHR HS&DR) 12/209/27.£491,919.40. 2014-2018. (Co-I)
- Life Swap Workshops (EPSRC via Balance Network) £3,280. 2015. (Co-I)
- Citizen Cyberlab (EU FP7) 317705. €3,400,000 (approx. £2,704,754) 2012-2015 (Co-I)
- CHI+MED: Computer-Human Interaction for Medical Devices (EPSRC Programme Grant) EP/G059063/1. £5,792,050 2009-2015. (Co-I)
- Digital Epiphanies (EPSRC) EP/K025392/1. £195,135 2013-2014. (PI)
- Healthy Interactive Systems in Healthcare (EPRSC Platform Grant) EP/G004560/1. £422,828 2009-2014. (Co-I)
- KTP 6938 funded by ESRC & the Technology Strategy Board with Paperstone on the use of ‘Human-Computer Interaction’ methods to transfer usability and accessibility knowledge to the company. £116,856 2009-2010. (PI)
- A rational framework for modeling interactive search (EPSRC First Grant) GR/T28225/01. £122,692 2005-2007 (PI)
Teaching
I’m the module convenor for PSYC0288 The Digital Workplace. Prior to this I was convenor for PSYC0099 Serious and Persuasive Games. You can read about some of the games created by my students Emma Holliday and Naveed Janmohamed.
I previously convened on PSYC0101 Interaction Science. I co-edited one of the key texts for the module Research Methods for Human Computer Interaction: Cambridge University Press. ‘Research Methods for Human-Computer Interaction is a wonderful resource, for both students and practitioners, who need to take a scientific approach to the design of user interfaces. [….]’ Dr Alan Blackwell, Reader in Interdisciplinary Design, University of Cambridge Computer Laboratory.
I have delivered research methods courses to conference attendees at the following events:
I have also undertaken a number of external roles related to education:
- Governor at Sandringham School, St Albans (2013-2024 , Chair of Governors 2018-2024 )
- External Examiner at University of York (2014-2018)
- External Examiner at Kingston University (2011-2014)
External Engagement
- Member of the CHIWORK Steering Committee
- General Co-Chair for CHIWORK 2023 and Technical Programme Chair for CHIWORK 2022
- Member of the CHI Steering Committee
- Specialist Advisor to the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee at the House of Commons for the Immersive and addictive technologies inquiry
- Member of the CHI PLAY Steering Committee
- Member of the UCL School Governor Network Steering Group
- Technical Programme Co-Chair for CHI2018 in Montreal and CHI2019 in Glasgow
- Doctoral Consortium Co-Chair and Subcommittee Chair for Understanding People for CHI2017 in Denver
- General Conference Co-Chair for CHI PLAY 2015 & 2016
- Associate Chair for CHI2015 and CHI2016
- Member of the EPSRC College
Enabling & Institutional Citizenship
- 2019-2024 Vice Dean (Equality, Diversity & Inclusion) in the Faculty of Brain Sciences
- 2017-2019 Athena SWAN lead for the Faculty of Brain Sciences
- 2015 Co-founder of Athena SWAN Psychology National Forum
- 2013-2017: Chair of the Athena SWAN self-assessment team in Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, achieving renewal of silver award on 2 occasions
- 2011-2014: Graduate Tutor in UCL Interaction Centre
- 2009-2017: Deputy Director of UCL Interaction Centre
- 2005-2012: Chair of the Board of Examiners for MSc Human-Computer Interaction
Videos & Articles in Popular Media
- Cited in more than 100 news articles about our work comparing the effects of digital games and mindfulness apps on post-work recovery https://jmir.altmetric.com/details/63721827/news
- interview in BBC Science Focus magazine (April 2019)
- cited in What Would Happen If We Banned Emails At The Weekend? BBC Capital (Aug 2018)
- podcast from Digital Mindfulness series: Tech & Work Life Balance with Anna Cox (September 2017)
- video from Meet The Researcher series at UCL Psychology & Language Sciences (September 2017)
- quoted in new scientist (August 2017)
- podcast from Changing Academic Life series: family, work & strategies for making the changes we want (March 2017)
- quoted in Does Banning Out of Hours Email Increase Employee Engagement? (January 2017)
- quoted in the news.com.au – France introduces legislation giving workers the ‘right to disconnect’ (January 2017)
- quoted in the Guardian – French workers win legal right to avoid checking work email out-of-hours (January 2017)
- quoted in The Telegraph – French win ‘right to disconnect’ from out-of-hours work emails (December 2016)
- featured in The Psychologist – From the ZX Spectrum to smartwatches (April 2016)
- featured in Women at UCL: Presence and Absence (March 2016)
- video of talk given at Product Tank Managing Interruptions = Better Digital Product Design (July 2015)
- article in The Conversation The gamer in your life isn’t ignoring you, they’re blind to your presence (June 2014)
- article in The Conversation Rough day at work? Call of Duty can help you recover in The Conversation (June 2014)
- featured in in BPS Occupational Digest – Gamers find it easier to relax and detach from work (March 2014)
- featured in Mens Health Magazine – The Super Fun Way to De-Stress from Work(April 2014)
- article in The Conversation –Speed reading apps are great for snippets but not sonnets (March 2014)
- cited in Psychology Today’s article How to Avoid Your Five Most Common Memory Errors: Research-based strategies to stop making mistakes that can ruin your day (Oct 2013)
- featured in Times Higher Educational Who got that job? (July 2004)
Brief biography
Anna Cox is Professor of Human-Computer Interaction in the UCL Interaction Centre [UCLIC], in the Division of Psychology and Language Sciences where she leads the eWorkResearch group. Her research on the use of digital technology across work and personal life-spheres has revealed the influence of design on the productivity and work-life balance challenges experienced across a variety of settings including healthcare, finance, academia, and crowdwork. She has also explored digital leisure activities such as watching videos, playing videogames, and engaging in citizen science projects and their role in supporting work-stress recovery. She was Specialist Advisor to the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee at the House of Commons for their 2019 inquiry into immersive and addictive technologies. She was inducted into the SIGCHI Academy in 2024.
Professor Cox’s first degree is in Cognitive Science (Hertfordshire), and her MSc is in Human-Computer Interaction (Queen Mary, University of London). She was awarded her PhD from the University of Hertfordshire in 2002. She became a lecturer in the Computer Science department at University of Hertfordshire before moving to UCL as a Lecturer in 2004. She was promoted to full professor in 2017.
Professor Cox has served in senior roles on the programme and organising committees of a number of top-tier HCI conferences, including as Technical Programme Chair for CHI2018 and CHI2019 and General Chair of CHI PLAY 2015 and 2016 and CHI WORK 2023. She is a member of the CHI and CHIWORK steering committees. She was formally Vice Dean (Equality, Diversity & Inclusion) in the Faculty of Brain Sciences (2019-2024), Deputy-Director of UCLIC (2009-2017), Faculty Athena SWAN lead (2017-2019) and Chair of the Athena SWAN self-assessment team in the Division of Psychology and Language Sciences (2012-2017).
