Professor Abigail Sellen FRS

Abigail Sellen is one of the pioneers of the vibrant and influential field of Human-Computer Interaction.  A cognitive psychologist and Human Factors engineer by training, she began her research career at the inception of this area of computer science, which aims to put human values, experience and aspiration at the centre of the invention and design of digital technology.  Her career has spanned industrial research labs in many of the big computing companies including Apple Computer, Xerox EuroPARC, and Hewlett-Packard Labs. She is now Deputy Lab Director of Microsoft Research in Cambridge.

She is best known for her foundational work on telepresence technologies, on technology support for human memory, on the design and evaluation of input devices, and on the role of digital technologies in knowledge work. This research has helped to shape the field, and has led to award winning books and publications, new products, and patents.

Abigail is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, a Fellow of the ACM, and an International Member of the US National Academy of Engineering.

Professional position

  • Director, Microsoft Research Limited, Microsoft UK

Subject groups

  • Computer sciences

    Artificial intelligence, machine learning, vision

  • Anatomy, physiology and neurosciences

    Experimental psychology

Professor Abigail Sellen FRS
Elected 2021