Anna L Cox

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

eWorkResearch is an interdisciplinary research team of experts exploring the use of digital technology in work, life and wellbeing. Established by Professor Anna L Cox, the team includes researchers based in the UCL Interaction Centre at UCL and collaborates with colleagues at Cardiff University, Northumbria University, University of York, Trinity College Dublin, UC Irvine, and the University of Melbourne.

• Research interests and 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

• 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 2016-2020
• 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:

• British-HCI 2008
• CHI2015 in Seoul, South Korea
• CHI2016 in San Jose, USA
• CHI2017 in Denver, USA

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 and Vice Dean (Equality, Diversity & Inclusion) in the Faculty of Brain Sciences. She was Deputy-Director of UCLIC 2009-2017, chair of the Athena SWAN self-assessment team in the Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, achieving renewal of a silver award on 2 occasions, and Faculty Athena SWAN lead 2017-2019. She is also a parent.

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 published widely, beginning with her PhD work on exploratory learning, to more recent work on human error, digital games, habit formation and personal informatics. Her current research focuses on work and wellbeing in the digital age. She leads the eWorkResearch group at UCL Interaction Centre [UCLIC].

Professor Cox is a member of the CHI and CHIWORK steering committees. 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 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.