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 an interaction design consultant (IxD and UX) and as programmer writing software for bridge monitoring, engineering plants, exhibition centres and architectural firms, 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.
I teach HCI online on Udemy and AI on the WI Learning Hub.
Originally from Middlesbrough, I lived in Lausanne for six years working as a GUI programmer in AI software and then as a PhD student in HCI, AI and, big data for structural monitoring, at the École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne. Nowadays, I live in London and am a Parent Governor at Great Ormond St Hospital (GOSH) where I endeavour to uphold the GOSH promise: The child comes first.
I speak fluent French, terrible Italian, and Duolingo Dutch, and will always have a special place in my heart for the Canton Vaud and Switzerland.
Last updated: 19th April 2024