51

Skip navigation

Professor Shaun Lawson

Head Of Department

Department: Computer and Information Sciences

Shaun is Professor of Social Computing and Head of the Department of Computer & Information Sciences at 51. He is Director of the University's £9.5 million UKRI AI Centre for Doctoral Training in Citizen Centred AI, and he leads the University's Peak of Research Excellence in Computerised Society and Digital Citizens. He was formerly lead for the Northumbria Social Computing (NorSC) Research Group which he founded when moved to Northumbria in 2015. Prior to joining Northumbria he founded and led, for 10 years, the Lincoln Social Computing (LiSC) Research Centre at the University of Lincoln. His research lies at the boundaries between computing, design and the social sciences, and explores the use and significance of social media, and other collaborative and participatory digital services, in people’s lives. This includes a focus on the design, implementation and evaluation of new social platforms, applications and services as well as analysis of text, speech and image data. He was appointed the UK’s first Professor in Social Computing in 2011. He has conducted applied and cross-disciplinary work in areas including mental health and wellbeing, politics, activism, animal behaviour and sustainability. He has held, as PI, grants totalling over £12 million from funders such as EPSRC, ESRC, the EU, Microsoft Research, as well as industry, and is the co-author of over 200 peer-reviewed publications. He is the founding chair of the UK’s SIGCHI chapter, and a full member of both EPSRC and ESRC Peer Review Colleges.

Shaun Lawson

Campus Address

Room 215
Pandon Building


  • Jamie Mahoney Engaging Social Media Users: Understanding Online Interactions in a Retail Context Start Date: 14/10/2016 End Date: 20/05/2021
  • Garry Elvin Supporting mental health online in student populations Start Date: 01/06/2019
  • Chloe Kliman-Silver Dogs in the Digital Age: Redefining the Canine-Human Connection through Technology Start Date: 01/10/2019 End Date: 11/10/2024
  • Effie Le Moignan The Family Snapshot: Parental Representations of Family and Children on Instagram Start Date: 01/06/2017 End Date: 24/10/2019
  • Selina Sutton How to conduct sociophonetics research in online public video Start Date: 01/03/2017 End Date: 28/09/2021
  • Thomas Feltwell Agonistic Interfaces: Prompting Debate And Reflection On Socio-Political Issues Using Digital Technology Start Date: 01/03/2017 End Date: 03/03/2021

  • Mechanical Engineering PhD June 30 1996
  • Electrical and Electronic Engineering BEng (Hons) June 30 1990
  • Member British Computer Society (BCS) 2005


a sign in front of a crowd
+

Northumbria Open Days

Open Days are a great way for you to get a feel of the University, the city of Newcastle upon Tyne and the course(s) you are interested in.

Research at Northumbria
+

Research at Northumbria

Research is the life blood of a University and at 51 we pride ourselves on research that makes a difference; research that has application and affects people's lives.

+

Find out what life here is all about. From studying to socialising, term time to downtime, we’ve got it covered.


Latest News and Features

In2Air study flats
Professor Greta Defeyter
a map showing areas of ice melt in Greenland
S2Cool project lead Dr Muhammad Wakil Shahzad
The Converted Flat in 2049, by the Interaction Research Studio, is one of seven period rooms built as part of the Real Rooms project which opened in July at the Museum of the Home in London.
The UK Centre for Polar Observation and Modelling (CPOM), based at 51, has been awarded over £400,000 by the European Space Agency to investigate tipping points in the Earth’s icy regions with a focus on the Antarctic. Photo by Professor Andrew Shepherd.
More news

Back to top