Dr Genovefa Kefalidou

I come from a multidisciplinary background that includes Computer Science, Distributed Systems Engineering, Human Factors Engineering Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and Cognitive Psychology. During my PhD (PhD Thesis: ""Cognitive Processes and Vehicle Routing Problems (VRPs)"") I investigated cognitive-inspired and human-centred interactive methods for route optimisation working on how to enrich existing computational algorithms (e.g. Tabu search) through the design development and evaluation of an interactive tool for planning and solving VRPs. While completing my PhD I started working as a postdoc Human Factors Engineer (Research Fellow) at The University of Nottingham within the School of Computer Science Horizon Digital Economy Research and the Faculty of Engineering (Human Factors Research Group). My work there focused on HCI research and particularly User Experience (UX), User-centred and Participatory Design, Human Factors and Ergonomics, Ubiquitous Computing utilising mixed-method approaches. I am currently a Lecturer in Human Computer Interaction within the School of Computing and Mathematical Sciences. I am also the School’s Director of EDI and Academic Lead for Early Career Researchers (ECRs) within the College of Science and Engineering. I am also the School's Ethics Officer, a member of the College's Ethics committee and the University's Research Integrity Working Group.

My research interests include the design and evaluation of Socio-Cognitive Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based and Mixed-Reality (MR) technologies to support decision-making User Experience (UX) and problem solving within Transport and Healthcare. I am particularly interested in Human-Data Interaction and ‘human-in-the-loop’ approaches in Automated Data-driven Systems and Services e.g. in Route Optimisation Intelligent Mobility and Joint Cognitive Systems utilising MR and wearables. I am interested in Crisis sensemaking and meta-cognition for designing technologies for enhanced safety performance and UX. Prior projects were funded by RCUK European Commission (e.g. Horizon2020) designing Transport and other innovations. Currently funded projects are the following: UK Trustworthy Autonomous Systems Verifiability Node - https://verifiability.org/ (UKRI) (2020) - £2923653.00 Co-Investigator (Co-I) and Engagement Officer. Predictive modelling of major trauma PROMs using Machine Learning (Health Foundation) (2020) - £324137.71 Co-Investigator (Co-I) https://www.health.org.uk/funding-and-partnerships/programmes/predictive-modelling-of-major-trauma-proms-using-machine.

Research keywords: Human Computer Interaction (HCI), User Experience Design (UXD), Mixed Reality & Fused Interactions, User-Centred Data Analytics & Immersive Data Visualisations, Intelligent Systems and Service Design, Interactive Optimisation, Trust & Verifiability, Intelligent Mobility, Crises Sensemaking, Data Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

Selected publications (ordered by most recent year) include:

Dix, A. & Kefalidou, G. (2021). Regret: from cognition to code. The 3rd International Workshop on Cognition: Interdisciplinary Foundations, Models and Application,, Nazarbayev University, Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, and the University of York, York, UK. Monday 6 December 2021.

Wright, V. & Kefalidou, G. (2021). Can you hear the Colour? Towards a Synaesthetic and Multimodal Design Approach in Virtual Worlds. In Proceedings of 34th British Human Computer Interaction Conference, 19-21 July - London, UK - University of West London. *this paper was selected as one of the top highly rated in the conference based on the blind peer review conducted and has been invited to form a journal submission.

Kefalidou, G. (2020). Passenger Experience and Safety Systems. In Safety Insights (pp. 79-88). Productivity Press.

Araujo, H. L., Damasceno, C. D. N., Dimitrova, R., Kefalidou, G., Mehtarizadeh, M., Mousavi, M. R., ... & Wali, S. (2019, October). Trusted Autonomous Vehicles: an Interactive Exhibit. In 2019 IEEE International Conferences on Ubiquitous Computing & Communications (IUCC) and Data Science and Computational Intelligence (DSCI) and Smart Computing, Networking and Services (SmartCNS) (pp. 386-393). IEEE.

Kefalidou, G., D'Cruz, M., Castro, A., & Marcelino, R. (2019, May). Designing airport interiors with 3D visualizations. In Extended Abstracts of the 2019 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (pp. 1-8).

Golightly, D., Kefalidou, G., & Sharples, S. (2018). A cross-sector analysis of human and organisational factors in the deployment of data-driven predictive maintenance. Information Systems and e-Business Management, 16(3), 627-648.

Kefalidou, G., Golightly, D., & Sharples, S. (2018). Identifying rail asset maintenance processes: a human-centric and sensemaking approach. Cognition, Technology & Work, 20(1), 73-92.

Reiter, A., Hou, X., Kefalidou, G. & Goulding, J. (2017). Novice and Experts Strategies for Understanding Complex Big Data, Contemporary EHF 2017

Kefalidou, G. (2017). When immediate interactive feedback boosts optimization problem solving: a 'human-in-the-loop' approach for solving Capacitated Vehicle Routing Problems. Computers in Human Behavior, 73, 110-124.

Kefalidou, G., D'Cruz, M., Sharples, S., De Lille, C., Frangakis, N., Ottens, R., ... & Santema, S. (2016). Passengers' Requirements for developing a Passenger-Centred Infrastructure to Enhance Travel Experiences at Airports. In Conference Proceedings of the Chartered Institute of Ergonomics and Human Factors 2016.

Kefalidou, G., & Sharples, S. (2016). Encouraging serendipity in research: Designing technologies to support connection-making. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 89, 1-23.

Pontis, S., Kefalidou, G., Blandford, A., Forth, J., Makri, S., Sharples, S., ... & Woods, M. (2016). Academics' responses to encountered information: Context matters. Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology, 67(8), 1883-1903.

My ORCID ID is: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2889-7564

I currently supervise 2 PhD students on the following topics:
Ms Victoria Wright - PhD Thesis: ""Modality Fusion and Synaesthetic-oriented approaches in Mixed Reality Technologies"" (1st supervisor)
Mr Mohammad Ali - PhD Thesis: ""Symptom trajectories in heart failure and the design of novel patient-centred technologies for admission prevention; a mixed method approach"" (2nd supervisor)

I am happy to supervise PhD students on the following topics (list is not exhaustive): Optimising Human-Data Interaction for enhanced Safety and User Experience; Human-in-the-Loop approaches for AI-based technologies; Synaesthesia and Serendipity in Mixed Reality design; Data Visualisations for UX and fused interactions in Mixed Reality; Verification methods, trust and uncertainty for autonomous systems; Equality and Inclusivity frameworks in User-centred Design; Design and Evaluation of Data Fusion for Intelligent Ser vices

I currently teach at both MSc and BSc levels:
MSc: Interaction Design (ID) and User Experience (UX) Design (module convenor and lecturer), Data-Driven Intelligent Service Design (module convenor and lecturer)
BSc: User Interface Design and Evaluation (2nd Year) (module convenor and lecturer), Computing Fundamentals (Personal Tutor), BSc and MSc/MComp Project Supervision

Selected invited talks:

Kefalidou, G. (2017) (invited talk and workshop organiser). Reducing passenger overall time and enhancing passenger experience (PAX), Towards User-centric Transport in Europe (TUCTE), 22-23 May, Brussels, Belgium 

Kefalidou, G. (2017) (invited talk). Changing the Travel Experience, Architecture of Air Travel: Designing for Human Behaviour, Royal Aeronautical Society Conference, 24th and 25th April 2017, London, UK 

Kefalidou, G. (2017) (invited talk). Human Factors in Transport: From Asset Maintenance to Passenger Experience (PAX), Imperial College London invited seminar talk, 01 March, London, UK 

Kefalidou, G. (2018) (invited talk). How can Virtual Reality improve our experiences at airports, Flights of Fancy, Pint of Science Festival, 16th May, Nottingham, UK 

Tiger Team Award (funded): PI on MApping Identities for Data ExplaiNability (MAIDEN)  (2020) -  £4,827.50, LIAS, University of Leicester 

Teaching Excellence Certificate for Teaching (2017), The University of Nottingham.

ILM Award in Leadership and Management (2013), The University of Nottingham. 

Bridging the Gaps: Next Generation Feasibility Awards (funded), Roberts Money, University of Nottingham, (2012) - £4,970

Kefalidou, G. (2020). Industry and Parliament Trust Dinner Discussion - Invited Speaker on Intelligent Urban Mobility, 9th March, London, UK - https://www.ipt.org.uk/Events/Event-News/Details/Event-blog-The-Future-of-Urban-Mobility
Kefalidou, G. (2019). X-Rays on Mercury, Monkey Tools, Music of Molecules, AI Drivers - BBC Radio 4 interview to Adam Rutherford on DriverLeics Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition, 4th July, London, UK - https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0006dtm

PhD in Psychology (2011), Lancaster University (EPSRC and ESRC-funded).  Thesis Title: ‘Cognitive Processes and Vehicle Routing Problems’ - identifying human heuristics and strategies in solving optimisation problems and developing an interactive route planner tool based on cognitive heuristics (multidisciplinary PhD with Psychology Dept and Operational Research, Management School, Lancaster University) 
MRes in Design and Evaluation for Advanced Interactive Systems (Human Computer Interaction) (2006), Computing and Psychology Departments, Lancaster University (EPSRC-funded)  
MSc in Distributed Systems Engineering (2005), Computing Department, Lancaster University  
BSc (Hons) in Computer Science (2003), Computer Science Department, University of Sheffield.