Ilyena is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Glasgow, running the Animal-Computer Interaction (ACI) group. Over the past decade, Dr Hirskyj-Douglas has led projects to design and develop novel computer systems that enable animals to control their environment and access the Internet, prioritising animal well-being and agency. Her work has opened new possibilities for animals’ connections with both humans and other animals, and enabled unprecedented means of communication.

Jiaqi is supervised by Dr Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas and Prof. Stephen Brewster. Her PhD research explores ways to connect zoo visitors and lemurs in zoo contexts. She creates an interactive device with audio, visual, and olfactory computer systems and uses it to explore how these systems can improve lemur welfare and people’s education, empathy, and experiences at zoos. She has publications in ACM CHI, ACM DIS, and ACM ACI and has served on the program committees of these conferences.

Jesse is undertaking his PhD under the supervision of Dr Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas and Prof. Stephen Brewster. He explores collaborative methodologies of interspecies design, beginning with Red Ruffed Lemurs. He has a background as a musician, field recordist, designer and creative technologist. As such, he is applying iterative design methodologies to develop animal-centred audio systems.

Safya is researching dog-centred computing as part of the ERC FUTUREFAUNA project, supervised by Dr Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas and Prof. Stephen Brewster. She seeks to leverage open-source smart home technology to develop bespoke interfaces which would allow dogs to control their environment. It is hoped that this novel technology would increase dogs’ wellbeing and lead to discovery about their wants and needs. With an interdisciplinary background in literature, game design and human-machine co-creativity, Safya loves to infuse out-of-the-box thinking into her work. A decade of veganism and social justice advocacy has made her care deeply about placing empathy, ethics and inclusion at the core of all she does.

Zhihuang is supervised by Dr Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas and Prof. Mohamed Khamis. His research explores the development of technology for humans and cats during periods of human–cat separation, whether cats are left at home or hospitalised in veterinary settings. His interests focus on cat agency, caregivers’ needs, and technologies supporting remote human–cat interaction and the well-being of both cats and their caregivers.

Weiyun is supervised by Dr Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas and Dr Xianghua (Sharon). She graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts of Tsinghua University in 2022 with a master’s degree, and previously from the Luxun Academy of Fine Arts with a bachelor’s degree. Her PhD research focuses on novel ways to display health data (stress and sleep) through tangible interactive devices to promote engagement with sensitive health information. Her research aims to improve the accessibility and usability of health data by merging aesthetics with functionality to create visually appealing, user-friendly interfaces. She has published at ACM DIS and ACM TEI.

Hongxiang is supervised by Dr Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas and Prof. Mohamed Khamis. His research focuses on understanding how users express, perceive, and manage identity through embodied avatars in Social Virtual Reality (Social VR). Methodologically, he leans on mixed-method approaches, blending qualitative and quantitative data. He is also interested in how social interaction in such XR media contributes to the reconstruction of users’ identities, especially in the context of emerging social norms, to inform design guidelines for Social VR systems that better support inclusive identity exploration and negotiation. He has published and reviewed for ACM CHI.

Tai is supervised by Dr Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas and Prof. Stephen Brewster. His PhD research focuses on the use of avatars in cars for stress management.