Jenny Waycott

Professor Jenny Waycott is a Professor and Deputy Head of School (Research) in the School of Computing and Information Systems, Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology at the University of Melbourne. She earned her PhD from The Open University, Bachelors Degree with Honours from the University of Melbourne, and Graduate Certificate from the University of Melbourne. Waycott's research centers on human-computer interaction, focusing on the design, use, and evaluation of social technologies to foster social connectedness, emotional wellbeing, and enrichment for older adults, particularly in aged care settings. As Theme Lead for Design for Ageing in the Human-Computer Interaction group, she applies qualitative and participatory methods to projects exploring virtual reality for storytelling, social robots, accessible video calling like Dossy, music therapy tools for dementia care, and immersive technologies for social participation.

With over 20 years at the University of Melbourne, Waycott has led initiatives such as Digital Storytelling with Older Adults (TALES), Reimagining Music Therapy in Dementia Care (MATCH), Emerging Technologies for Enrichment in Old Age, and studies on technology during COVID-19 restrictions. She received an ARC Future Fellowship (FT170100420) in 2017 for emerging technologies research. Her prolific publications appear in premier outlets like ACM CHI, CSCW, OzCHI, International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, International Journal of Social Robotics, and JMIR Aging, including 'Technology-Mediated Enrichment in Aged Care: Survey and Interview Study' (2022), 'Video Calls as a Replacement for Family Visits During COVID-19' (2023), 'Understanding Older Adults' Experiences With Technologies for Health Self-management' (2023), and 'Introducing Virtual Reality to Older Adults' (2024). Her work has amassed over 11,000 citations with an h-index of 50, shaping ethical and empathetic technology design in HCI. Waycott coordinates Fieldwork for Design in the Master of Information Technology - Human-Computer Interaction stream and contributes to public discourse via Pursuit and The Conversation.

Professional Email: jwaycott@unimelb.edu.au