Skip to main content

Staff Profile

Dr Vasilis Vlachokyriakos

Reader (Associate Professor)

  • Telephone: +44 (0) 7508442767
  • Address: Open Lab, School of Computing,
    Urban Sciences Building,
    1 Science Square,
    Newcastle upon Tyne,
    NE4 5TG
Background

I am a Reader (Associate Professor) of Human-Computer Interaction and Digital Civics at Open Lab, Newcastle University, School of Computing. I have a background in Computing Science with a MSc (Hons) in Computer Security and Resilience and a PhD in HCI.


My work centres on designing and developing digital systems to support democratic practices and prevent harms and exclusions in the digital economy. In order to undertake such research I work in collaborative and interdisciplinary projects with local communities, third sector and public sector organisations by employing technology design-led, participatory and action research methodologies.


As part of this research agenda, I am currently a co-investigator for our EPSRC Centre for Digital Citizens – Next Stage Digital Economy Centre and for the EPSRC AGENCY: Assuring Citizen Agency in Complex Online Harms project. I am also the co-founder of Open Lab Athens, a technology cooperative supporting social innovation in Greece.


In the past, I have been a co-investigator for the H2020 “Generative European Commons Living Lab” (Ge.CO Living Lab), a co-investigator of the EPSRC Digital Economy Research Center (DERC) while also been the co-investigator of Open Lab Athens for the H2020 “Digital Disruptive Technologies to co-create, co-produce and co-manage Open Public Services” (CO3) project.


I am also a Program Committee member of a several 4* HCI academic conferences, such as the ACM CHI and CSCW. For information about my academic publications see my Google Scholar profile.

 

Research

At the core of my research is an understanding of designing digital systems as ways that we shape our environments. As is widely known in HCI the dissemination of computing systems in most strata of society puts designers in a position of power against systems’ users - i.e. citizens. This has lately become more apparent due to the substantial implications of these systems in shaping the ways through which we make decisions, we produce, consume and exchange, and the ways through which we understand and participate in our democracies.


My work centres on designing and developing digital systems to support democratic practices and prevent harms and exclusions in the digital economy. In order to undertake such research I work in collaborative and interdisciplinary projects with local communities, third sector and public sector organisations by employing technology design-led, participatory and action research methodologies.


As part of this research agenda, I am currently a co-investigator for our EPSRC Centre for Digital Citizens – Next Stage Digital Economy Centre and for the EPSRC AGENCY: Assuring Citizen Agency in Complex Online Harms project.


In the past, I have been a co-investigator for the H2020 “Generative European Commons Living Lab” (Ge.CO Living Lab), a co-investigator of the EPSRC Digital Economy Research Center (DERC) while also been the principal investigator of Open Lab Athens for the H2020 “Digital Disruptive Technologies to co-create, co-produce and co-manage Open Public Services” (CO3) project.


I am also a Program Committee member of a several 4* HCI academic conferences, such as the ACM CHI and CSCW. For information about my academic publications see my Google Scholar profile.


 

Teaching

I have taught several modules, from practical sessions to MSc programme design and module design and being module leader of multiple Computer Science modules at all Bachelor, Masters and PhD levels.


The type of the module and its class size have played a significant role in the teaching and learning methods that I have used.


Example such modules include: Programming, Advanced Interaction Design, Research Methods for Computer Science, System Security and others.


Currently I am primarily teaching modules for our MSc in Human-Computer Interaction, including CSC8607 – Research Methods for Human Computer Interaction, CSC8604 – Technologies for Human Computer Interaction, CSC8609 – Project in Human Computer Interaction and CSC8611 Human-AI interaction and Futures. 


Publications