Technology and Society at Surrey

Spotlights and showcases from the University of Surrey's Strategic Research Theme Technology and Society

Cultivating open data platform ecosystems to foster innovation in Latin America

Open data—data released by government in digital format, publicly available for anyone to use—is increasingly used as an asset to foster innovation and to contribute to economic and social development. Dr Carla Bonina’s research studies how to cultivate open data platform ecosystems to foster innovation in Latin America. This joint work with CBS colleague Ben […]


Sustainable showers

An innovative, smart device that provides real-time feedback during showers substantially reduces shower length. Randomised and covert field experiments led to a 14% reduction in shower time in tourism accommodations (where guests are not financially constrained by water and energy costs), and up to 27% when persuasive messages were added. That meant savings of about US$48, 4.44 m3 […]


Digitalization of Academic Learning and Edtech companies in Israel

In recent years, and especially following Covid-19, digital platforms have begun to infuse the higher education landscape. These processes rely on developing local and global High-Tech educational companies (also known as the ‘Edtech industry’) that provide digital services to higher education institutions. This research focuses on collaboration between Israeli Edtech company and Israeli University on a […]


Everyday use of mental health chatbots

Chatbots are increasingly being developed to assist with mental health and wellbeing. Examples include Wysa, which is reported to have 1,500,000 users, and Woebot which sends around 2 million messages a week to users in over 135 countries. Rob Meadows and Christine Hine are currently carrying out a series of projects exploring the everyday use […]


How is technology intersecting with student engagement and belonging?

Karen’s research in higher education focuses on key areas such as student engagement, connections and belonging. Karen’s recent work, a collaboration with Associate Professor Rola Ajjawi (Deakin University), unpacked the ways in which technology intersects with student engagement and belonging. Focusing on students’ experiences of belonging and non-belonging in the post-digital university, her research surfaces […]


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