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Department of Computer Science and Technology

Dr Katie Seaborn

  • Associate Professor at the University of Cambridge (from February 2026)
  • Visitor at the University of Cambridge (until February 2026)
  • National University Associate Professor at Institute of Science Tokyo (until February 2026)
  • Guest Professor at Institute of Science Tokyo (from February 2026)
  • Director of the Aspirational Computing Lab

Note: Dr. Seaborn will be starting in February 2026 and is seeking Ph.D. students for an October 2026 start.

The Aspirational Computing Lab website provides essential details for applicants at all levels and more. Interested parties are strongly encouraged to peruse the lab website in advance of any contact. Dr. Seaborn may not reply without evidence of this.

Graduate-level applicants will be welcomed through both CST (Department of Computer Science and Technology, formerly the Computing Lab) and CHIA (Centre for Human-Inspired Artificial Intelligence).

Biography

Katie Seaborn is an incoming Associate Professor of Human-Computer Interaction and Critical Computing in the Department of Computer Science and Technology (CST) at the University of Cambridge (from February 2026). They are currently National University Associate Professor at Institute of Science Tokyo (formerly: Tokyo Institute of Technology) and will hold a guest position from February. They are Director of the Aspirational Computing Lab (established April 2020). They received their Ph.D. in Mechanical and Industrial Engineering from the University of Toronto (2016) with a Major in Human Factors and a Collaborative Specialization in Knowledge Media Design. They also hold B.A. and M.Sc. degrees from the School of Interactive Arts and Technology (SIAT) at Simon Fraser University.

Research

  • Human-computer interaction and critical computing
  • Human-robot interaction and social robotics
  • Human-agent interaction, especially conversational user interfaces and voice-based agents
  • Social justice in design, including bias and fairness, diversity and intersectional design, and transparency and (over)trust
  • Deception in design, notably "dark patterns" and kawaii computing (cute theory applied to interactive technology)
  • User experience
  • Older adults and inclusive design
  • Serious games and play

Themes

Professional Activities

Selected community service:

Publications

Selected publications:

  • Seaborn, K. (2025b). Social Identity in Human-Agent Interaction: A Primer. ACM Transactions on Human-Robot Interaction. https://doi.org/10.1145/3760500

  • Seaborn, K. (2025a). Insidious by design: Time and decepion in human-LLM interactions. In R. Gellart, H. Schraffenberger, & C. Santos (Eds.), Dark Patterns and Manipulative Design: Conceptualising and Systematising a Key Contemporary Phenomenon from a Legal Perspective and Beyond. Edward Elgar. https://darkpatterns.online

  • Fabre, É., Seaborn, K., Koiwai, S., Watanabe, M., & Riesch, P. (2025). More-than-Human Storytelling: Designing Longitudinal Narrative Engagements with Generative AI. Proceedings of the Extended Abstracts of the CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1145/3706599.3720135

  • Fujii, T., Seaborn, K., Steeds, M., & Kato, J. (2025). Inter(sectional) Alia(s): Ambiguity in Voice Agent Identity via Intersectional Japanese Self-Referents. Proceedings of the 2025 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1145/3706598.3713323

  • Mandai, Y., Seaborn, K., Nakano, T., Sun, X., Wang, Y., & Kato, J. (2025). Super Kawaii Vocalics: Amplifying the “Cute” Factor in Computer Voice. Proceedings of the 2025 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1145/3706598.3713709

  • Seaborn, K., Altmeyer, M., Li, G. “Rikaku,” Ku, B., Kobuki, S., & Urakami, J. (2025). The Voice Experience Inventory (VOXI): Validating a consensus-driven instrument for measuring user impressions of computer voice. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 203, 103576. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhcs.2025.103576

  • Seaborn, K., Fosch-Villaronga, E., Fedosov, A., & Li, G. R. (2025). My Body, My Exoskeleton: Co-Designing Intersectional Visions of Robotic Augmentations through Drawings. International Journal of Social Robotics. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12369-025-01252-3

  • Seaborn, K., & Nakamura, S. (2025). Quality and representativeness of research online with Yahoo! Crowdsourcing. Frontiers in Psychology, 16. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1588579

  • Seaborn, K., Rogers, K., Altmeyer, M., Watanabe, M., Sawa, Y., Nam, S., Itagaki, T., & Li, G. ‘Rikaku.’ (2025). Unboxing Manipulation Checks for Voice UX. Interacting with Computers, iwae062. https://doi.org/10.1093/iwc/iwae062

  • Zhang, G. X., & Seaborn, K. (2025). Deceptively Intimate: The Threat of Romantic Mechanics in Video Games. Companion Proceedings of the Annual Symposium on Computer-Human Interaction in Play, 222–224. https://doi.org/10.1145/3744736.3749332

  • Zhang, G. X., Wang, Y., Nakajima, T. L., & Seaborn, K. (2025). First Contact with Dark Patterns and Deceptive Designs in Chinese and Japanese Free-to-Play Mobile Games. Proc. ACM Hum.-Comput. Interact., 9(6), GAMES025:730-GAMES025:755. https://doi.org/10.1145/3748620

  • Chang, W. J., Seaborn, K., & Adams, A. A. (2024). Theorizing deception: A scoping review of theory in research on dark patterns and deceptive design. Extended Abstracts of the 2024 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, Article No. 321. https://doi.org/10.1145/3613905.3650997

  • Fujii, T., Seaborn, K., & Steeds, M. (2024). Silver-tongued and sundry: Exploring intersectional pronouns with ChatGPT. Proceedings of the 2024 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, Article No. 511. https://doi.org/10.1145/3613904.3642303

  • Gessinger, I., Seaborn, K., Steeds, M., & Cowan, B. R. (2024). ChatGPT and me: First-time and experienced users’ perceptions of ChatGPT’s communicative ability as a dialogue partner. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 194, 103400. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhcs.2024.103400

  • Seaborn, K., Gessinger, I., Yoshida, S., Cowan, B. R., & Doyle, P. R. (2024). Cross-cultural validation of partner models for voice user interfaces. Proceedings of the 6th ACM Conference on Conversational User Interfaces, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1145/3640794.3665537

  • Seaborn, K., Sawa, Y., & Watanabe, M. (2024). Coimagining the future of voice assistants with cultural sensitivity. Human Behavior and Emerging Technologies, 2024, e3238737. https://doi.org/10.1155/2024/3238737

  • Seaborn, K., Urakami, J., Pennefather, P., & Miyake, N. P. (2024). Qualitative approaches to voice UX. ACM Computing Surveys. https://doi.org/10.1145/3658666

  • Seaborn, K. (2024). Bots against Bias: Critical Next Steps for Human–Robot Interaction. In U. Pagallo, W. Barfield, & Y.-H. Weng (Eds.), The Cambridge Handbook of the Law, Policy, and Regulation for Human–Robot Interaction (pp. 362–390). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009386708.023

  • Hidaka, S., Kobuki, S., Watanabe, M., & Seaborn, K. (2023). Linguistic dead-ends and alphabet soup: Finding dark patterns in Japanese apps. Proceedings of the 2023 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1145/3544548.3580942

  • Seaborn, K., Nam, S., Keckeis, J., & Itagaki, T. (2023). Can voice assistants sound cute? Towards a model of kawaii vocalics. Extended Abstracts of the 2023 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1145/3544549.3585656

  • Kim, Y., Ueno, T., Seaborn, K., Oura, H., Urakami, J., & Sawa, Y. (2023). Exoskeleton for the mind: Exploring strategies against misinformation with a metacognitive agent. Proceedings of the 2023 ACM International Conference on Augmented Humans (AHs ’23), 209–220. https://doi.org/10.1145/3582700.3582725

  • Seaborn, K., Barbareschi, G., & Chandra, S. (2023). Not only WEIRD but “uncanny”? A systematic review of diversity in human-robot interaction research. International Journal of Social Robotics. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12369-023-00968-4

  • Seaborn, K., Chandra, S., & Fabre, T. (2023). Transcending the “male code”: Implicit masculine biases in NLP contexts. Proceedings of the 2023 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1145/3544548.3581017

  • Urakami, J., & Seaborn, K. (2023). Nonverbal cues in human-robot interaction: A communication studies perspective. ACM Transactions on Human-Robot Interaction, 12(2), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1145/3570169

  • Seaborn, K., Kim, Y., Oura, H., & Seaborn, K. (2023). Trust and reliance in consensus-based explanations from an anti-misinformation agent. Extended Abstracts of the 2023 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1145/3544549.3585713

  • Seaborn, K., & Frank, A. (2022). What pronouns for Pepper? A critical review of gender/ing in research. Proceedings of the 2022 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1145/3491102.3501996

  • Seaborn, K., & Pennefather, P. (2022). Neither “hear” nor “their”: Interrogating gender neutrality in robots. Proceedings of the 2022 ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction, 1030–1034. https://doi.org/10.5555/3523760.3523929

  • Seaborn, K., Sekiguchi, T., Tokunaga, S., Miyake, N. P., & Otake-Matsuura, M. (2022). Voice over body? Older adults’ reactions to robot and voice assistant facilitators of group conversation. International Journal of Social Robotics, 15, 143–163. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12369-022-00925-7

  • Ueno, T., Sawa, Y., Kim, Y., Urakami, J., Oura, H., & Seaborn, K. (2022). Trust in human-AI interaction: Scoping out models, measures, and methods. Extended Abstracts of the 2022 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1145/3491101.3519772

  • Seaborn, K., Miyake, N. P., Pennefather, P., & Otake-Matsuura, M. (2021). Voice in human-agent interaction: A survey. ACM Computing Surveys (CSUR), 54(4), 1–43. https://doi.org/10.1145/3386867

  • Seaborn, K., Pennefather, P., & Fels, D. I. (2020). Eudaimonia and hedonia in the design and evaluation of a cooperative game for psychosocial well-being. Human–Computer Interaction, 35(4), 289–337. https://doi.org/10.1080/07370024.2018.1555481

  • Seaborn, K., Mähönen, J., & Rogers, Y. (2020). Scaling up to tackle low levels of urban food waste recycling. Proceedings of the 2020 ACM Designing Interactive Systems Conference, 1327–1340. https://doi.org/10.1145/3357236.3395524

  • Seaborn, K., Edey, J., Dolinar, G., Whitfield, M., Gardner, P., Branje, C., & Fels, D. I. (2016). Accessible play in everyday spaces: Mixed reality gaming for adult powered chair users. ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction (TOCHI), 23(2), Article 12. https://doi.org/10.1145/2893182

  • Seaborn, K., & Fels, D. I. (2015). Gamification in theory and action: A survey. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 74, 14–31. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhcs.2014.09.006

Contact Details

Room: 
GC01
Email: 

katie.seaborn@cst.cam.ac.uk

Department of Computer Science and Technology
University of Cambridge
William Gates Building
15 JJ Thomson Avenue
Cambridge
CB3 0FD

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