Dr Sara Heitlinger

Overview

I am a leading researcher in more-than-human smart cities and sustainable human-computer interaction (HCI). My research is grounded in participatory design, and I use creative practice to engage with communities who are not typically involved in the design of emerging technologies. I have pioneered novel methods for co-envisaging urban futures with diverse participants, including multispecies live action roleplay. I am motivated to find new approaches that help HCI move beyond authoritarian, top-down, and efficiency-based solutions to the problem of urban sustainability, and move towards more just and inclusive nature-based solutions, with the help of digital technologies such as AI, blockchain, networked sensors and data visualisation.

I have recently been awarded Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA) and promoted to Senior Lecturer. I am currently Programme Co-Director on the MSc in Human Computer Interaction Design.

I am PI on the recently-funded projects:
• More-than-Human Smart Urban Decision Making in Water Policy, funded by Research England. A project exploring creative practice and the development of new methods and prototypes for engaging with multispecies stakeholders in water policymaking, as a way to address current crises in UK waterways. I led this collaboration that included researchers from UCL, Anglia Ruskin University, and in collaboration with Defra Futures (Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs). A film about the project can be viewed at: https://vimeo.com/829333234


• More-than-Human Data Interactions in the Smart City, a project funded through an EPSRC Human Data Interaction Network Plus Grant. I led this project that included researchers from Goldsmiths University, Newcastle University, London School of Economics, and Warwick University, as well as 2 small NGOs. The project explored ways data could be collected, repurposed and interacted with to support diverse forms of life and enrich the ways that different species live together in the city. A project website can be viewed at: https://mothcities.uk/


• Algorithmic Food Justice, a project exploring how new algorithmic technologies such as blockchain could be used to create a fairer and more sustainable food system. I led this project funded through an EPSRC Not-Equal Network Plus grant. This project pioneered the novel research method of multispecies live action roleplay (LARP) to explore co-designing urban futures blockchain for a more just and sustainable food commons. The project website can be viewed at: https://algorithmicfoodjustice.net/


• I was also Named Researcher Co-I on Connected Seeds and Sensors, an 18-month EPSRC-funded project through the Internet of Things- Research in the Wild call, for a project exploring networked sensing and data visualisation for more sustainable urban food production and consumption. I effectively led this research, which grew out of my PhD. For this project I won a Community Collaboration Award for Research at Queen Mary University of London in 2017. A film I commissioned about the research toured in selected international film festivals: https://www.connectedseeds.org/connected-seeds-film
• Total grant capture as PI = £118,142

I have published extensively on the topic of sustainable HCI, more-than-human perspectives, and smart cities, including an honourable mention award paper at CHI. I am co-editing the first interdisciplinary book on more-than-human smart cities, spanning fields including computer science, urban planning, architecture, design, and geography (Oxford University Press, in press).

Prior to coming to City, I was part of the Digital Local Democracy research strand in the Global Urban Research Centre at Newcastle University, where I investigated new methods for increasing citizen participation in democratic processes through co-designing “smart” urban food futures. And prior to this I had a successful, award-winning career as a socially-engaged artist, designer and writer.

All my work is collaborative, and I am always keen to make new collaborative links. Public engagement and impact is core to my research.

Qualifications

• Fellowship FHEA, AdvanceHE, Jun 2023
• PhD in Media and Arts Technology, Queen Mary University of London, United Kingdom
• MA in Creative Writing, University of East Anglia, United Kingdom
• BSc in Computer Science, Hebrew University, Israel

Administrative role

• Programme Co-Director MSc in HCID, City, University of London, Sep 2022 – present

Employment

• Lecturer in Computer Science, City, University of London, Jan 2019 – present
• Postdoctoral Research Associate, Newcastle University, Apr 2017 – Jan 2019
• Researcher Co-Investigator, Queen Mary University of London, Oct 2015 – Mar 2017

Fellowships

• Fellow (FHEA), Advance HE, Jun 2023 – present

Awards

• Queen Mary University of London (2017) Community Collaboration Award for Research
  An award to recognise the people and projects at QMUL that work with the community to mutual benefit
• UNESCO (2007) UNESCO Digital Arts Award

2^nd supervisor

• Srravya Chandhiramowuli, Research Student

Featured publications

1. Heitlinger, S., Bryan-Kinns, N. and Comber, R. (2019). The Right to the Sustainable Smart City. CHI '19: CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. doi:10.1145/3290605.3300517

Publications by category