Futurelab staff
All staff are shown below in alphabetical order - alternatively click on the names in the box to the right, which lists staff by department.
Technology Manager - Toby Blackburn
Toby manages Futurelab's network infrastructure and IT systems, and also assists on projects with technical specifications and implementation. He came to Futurelab from SEA, where he managed their support team covering the company's two sites, and was also responsible for the design and implementation of all elements of their IT infrastructure and strategy, including helpdesk, projects, business continuity, process management and auditing. Prior to this, Toby worked as part of the Projects and Strategy team for Eurostar UK, performing server and desktop rollouts, and developing intranets. He has a degree in Microbiology from Cardiff University.
toby [dot] blackburn [at] futurelab [dot] org [dot] uk
0117 915 8213
Marketing Manager - Amanda Bowman
Amanda is responsible for developing and implementing targeted communications programmes for a number of Futurelab’s projects. She is also responsible for managing and developing the online and digital communications activities. Previously, Amanda spent five years with a national commercial law firm responsible for managing the firm's internal agency team, developing and managing online and offline communications and the events programme. Prior to this, Amanda gained extensive marketing experience at the RAC in a number of progressive roles including strategic planning, communications, project management, public relations and event management.
amanda [dot] bowman [at] futurelab [dot] org [dot] uk
0117 915 8237
Chief Executive - Stephen Breslin
Stephen joined Futurelab in 2008 as Chief Executive. Prior to this he was Chief Executive of The Kelvin Institute Ltd, which was formed as a joint venture between two of Scotland's leading universites as a vehicle for the commercialisation of university-generated intellectual property. Stephen's background is in engineering, and he has over 15 years' experience in commercial software development, working with many of the world's largest blue-chip organisations in a variety of fast-moving technology sectors. Stephen holds a BSc (Hons) and a PhD from the University of Strathclyde, as well as an MSc from the University of Sheffield.
stephen [dot] breslin [at] futurelab [dot] org [dot] uk
0117 915 8207
Art Director - Ben Carruthers
Ben works closely with the rest of the communications team as well as external agencies, overseeing all of Futurelab's creative output and responsible for the design and art direction of all its communication materials. Ben spent the first three years of his career at the BBC where he developed new BBC brands and their application for printed media as well as working with a variety of BBC departments, helping them to communicate creatively with external and internal audiences. Prior to joining Futurelab he was with one of Bristol's leading design agencies where he worked on blue chip accounts with a particular focus on the mobile telecommunications sector.
ben [dot] carruthers [at] futurelab [dot] org [dot] uk
0117 915 8236
Principal Researcher - Sue Cranmer
Sue Cranmer has spent over 10 years researching how children, young people and adults engage with digital technologies. She brought this expertise to Futurelab in 2009 to take up a senior researcher post, becoming principal researcher in 2010.
Sue is mainly interested in digital media and learning, and particularly research which explores and promotes access to digital media for young people and adults who may otherwise be excluded from gaining the potential benefits. Aligned with this, Sue is very interested in creative and innovative research designs.
Sue is building a strong list of publications in international and UK journals. In 2010, Continuum published ‘Primary schools and ICT: learning from pupil perspectives’ co-authored with Neil Selwyn and John Potter.
Sue has presented extensively at both international and UK conferences. Her PhD was awarded by London University in 2006 on ‘Families’ Uses of the Internet’ supervised by Professor David Buckingham at the Centre for the Study of Children, Youth and Media, Institute of Education, University of London.
sue [dot] cranmer [at] futurelab [dot] org [dot] uk
0117 915 8212
Administrator - Laura Demery
Laura runs Futurelab's reception and switchboard and coordinates many of the organisation's centralised supplies and services. She also helps maintain the contact management system and provides support for events. Laura joined Futurelab after spending a few months working in the charitable sector, mainly at Bristol's volunteer bureau. Prior to this, her experience was gained in large commercial organisations. She initially used her ergonomics degree in the Human Factors research department at British Aerospace for nine years before moving into IT and the Financial Services industry at Clerical Medical for 14 years.
laura [dot] demery [at] futurelab [dot] org [dot] uk
0117 915 8200
Communications Administrator - Claire Denney
Claire is responsible for supporting the Communications team at Futurelab. This includes pro-actively maintaining the contacts database and undertaking mailings, assisting with events and PR, and providing general administrative support. She has been providing administrative support within the public and HE sectors for the past four years after completing a degree in Science Communication.
claire [dot] denney [at] futurelab [dot] org [dot] uk
0117 9158206
Research Coordinator - Sarah Godfrey (on maternity leave)
Sarah is responsible for supporting the Learning Team at Futurelab, by coordinating all aspects of educational prototype trials and Innovations Workshops, and maintaining contact databases. Sarah has come from the financial services sector, where she worked as a learning and development coordinator. This involved organising learning programmes, setting up and managing Learning Resource Centres, budget management and reporting. Sarah and the rest of the team were responsible for all learning and development training across the business.
sarah [dot] godfrey [at] futurelab [dot] org [dot] uk
0117 915 8228
Senior Researcher - Lyndsay Grant
Lyndsay Grant is a Senior Researcher with expertise in learning in families, social software, social and educational inequalities and participatory approaches to learning and design. Her research has focused on the potential for new technologies and media to support young people’s learning both in and out of school, and in making connections between the two. Her research interests also include exploring young people’s active participation in matters that concern them and in participatory and playful learning experiences. Her research approach is informed by a commitment to social justice that starts with valuing the voices and experiences of participants in the research process. She is experienced in conducting interdisciplinary empirical qualitative research in a range of settings, including schools, museums and science centres and online. She has edited and published in academic journals and written and presented for practitioner, policy and industry audiences.
lyndsay [dot] grant [at] futurelab [dot] org [dot] uk
0117 915 8231
Web Manager - Sarah Grier
Sarah is responsible for managing the Futurelab website and supporting ongoing projects in addition to working on e-communications including the e-newsletter, Flux blog, and interaction with users on sites such as Twitter. Previously she worked in the charity sector for a number of years managing websites and e-communications for Hearing Dogs for Deaf People and working in fundraising and events management for London’s Air Ambulance.
sarah [dot] grier [at] futurelab [dot] org [dot] uk
0117 915 8209
Researcher - Cassie Hague
Cassie’s research currently focuses on digital literacy and digital participation and the UK school system. Her work considers how young people develop the literacy practices that allow them to make informed choices about their participation in social, political and educational cultures in the context of an increasingly digital world. She is interested in issues relating to citizenship and citizenship education and her Doctoral work looked at child citizenship, exploring story, play and the internet as vehicles for child voice. Alongside this, Cassie has carried out qualitative research on self-directed and informal forms of learning across the spectrum from early years settings to adult learning. She has also written on the educational and political implications of dystopian children’s literature.
cassie [dot] hague [at] futurelab [dot] org [dot] uk
0117 915 8224
Communications Materials Coordinator - Marisa Harlington
Marisa's role at Futurelab is to assist in the coordination and production of marketing material. She ensures that high standards are adhered to in all parts of the production of promotional material, and oversees the smooth delivery of all printed matter. Prior to joining Futurelab, Marisa was an administrator for a renowned firm of architects in Bristol, responsible for refining document presentation as well as being PA to the founding director. She gained FPC1 accreditation while administering for an international group insurance company, and has a degree in English and Art from York.
marisa [dot] harlington [at] futurelab [dot] org [dot] uk
0117 915 8226
Technical Production Associate - Graham Hopkins
Graham's role at Futurelab is to help manage the delivery of prototype projects, ensuring all project documentation is produced and prototypes are completed on time and to a high quality. He also runs the Call For Ideas process, carries out initial market research on new projects, and helps maintain good relationships with our project partners. Prior to joining Futurelab, Graham was a project manager for an innovative software company in London, and prior to that worked on a three-year web-based information project in central London, for older people and people with disabilities. Graham has a degree in Environmental Studies from Hertfordshire.
graham [dot] hopkins [at] futurelab [dot] org [dot] uk
0117 915 8204
Researcher - Kieron Kirkland
Kieron’s current work as a learning researcher includes leading the Greater Expectations project, which is exploring how digital technology can support young people to engage with their rights and entitlements. He has also published work on overcoming barriers to educational innovation, and was part of the team that developed Spark – Futurelab’s mobile exhibition which showcases new and emerging technologies that can be used to support education.
Before joining Futurelab he developed and delivered education programmes as Practitioner-in-Residence for Shakespeare's Globe, ran cognitive behavioural programmes for adult and young adult offenders with the Probation Service, and undertook research in India exploring Theatre as a methodology for social change.
Kieron is particularly interested in how digital technologies can stimulate social interaction and engage learners with their physical environment, and participatory approaches to learning. He is a member of the play and participation, and health and well being research groups. In his spare time Kieron is a Magician and practices Martial Arts.
kieron [dot] kirkland [at] futurelab [dot] org [dot] uk
0117 915 8233
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Senior Producer - Clara Lemon
Clara is responsible for delivering Futurelab's projects, producing a broad range of digital resources ranging from websites and web applications to interactive programmable water fountains and wearable devices, and is part of the strategy team. Before life at Futurelab, she was a producer at the BBC and in various global digital agencies since 1998. Her background includes a specialism in user-experience and user-centred design approaches with an MSc in human-computer interaction from the University of Bath.
clara [dot] lemon [at] futurelab [dot] org [dot] uk
0117 915 8215
Office Manager - Joanne O'Hagan
Joanne is responsible for the administration of the Beyond Current Horizons project, including the management of events for various strands of the programme. She is also responsible for Futurelab's facilities and office environment, a role which encompasses health and safety and HR administration, as well as building maintenance and space development. Previously, Joanne worked as PA to the Head of the National Museum of Photography, Film & Television in Bradford. Having previously trained as a sports therapist, she then took the opportunity to work freelance on contracts including international duty with GB Mountain Bike Team, and tutoring adult learners in sports therapy. Joanne's background includes senior PA roles in several blue chip companies.
joanne [dot] ohagan [at] futurelab [dot] org [dot] uk
0117 915 8203
Researcher - Alison Oldfield (on maternity leave)
Alison Oldfield is a learning researcher with experience in inclusion and disability, young people’s participation processes, action research projects, and youth work practice. Her research interests also include the co-design and development of learning spaces, including online spaces, and the development of services through participatory, rights-based processes. She is experienced in practitioner-led and interdisciplinary qualitative research in a range of settings, including schools, online spaces and more informal learning settings like youth centres and voluntary agencies. She has written and presented to policy, academic, industry and practitioner audiences.
alison [dot] oldfield [at] futurelab [dot] org [dot] uk
0117 915 8210
Researcher - Sarah Payton
Sarah is a learning researcher with expertise in curriculum innovation, learner voice, student participation, teacher professional development & identity and digital literacy. Her research has focused on developing partnership approaches to the curriculum that allow for children’s voice and participation. She has researched the impact of curriculum change on students and teachers in classroom settings and is currently working with teachers and learners to explore ways in which the skills needed for digital participation can be fostered within curriculum subject teaching.
sarah [dot] payton [at] futurelab [dot] org [dot] uk
0117 915 8216
Researcher - Carlo Perrotta
Carlo’s main research interests in Futurelab include participatory design, educational futures, game-based learning, creativity and technology- enhanced learning. He is currently investigating how new approaches to assessment can shape innovative pedagogic practices. Through his doctoral thesis he developed a strong understanding of computer-supported collaborative learning, networking technologies and web 2.0. He also has experience of designing and evaluating participatory activities with adults and young people. Carlo’s background also includes experiences in and knowledge of organisational theory, human resource management, occupational psychology and knowledge management.
carlo [dot] perrotta [at] futurelab [dot] org [dot] uk
0117 915 8220
Research Coordinator - Clare Pirie
Clare is responsible for supporting the Research Team at Futurelab, by coordinating educational trials and workshops, and maintaining contact databases. With a degree from the University of Sheffield, Clare has a background in administration and TV production. Immediately prior to working at Futurelab she worked with Room 13, an artist’s studio run by young people in South Bristol.
clare [dot] pirie [at] futurelab [dot] org [dot] uk
0117 915 8228
Head of Services - Tim Rudd
Tim is responsible for leading and developing a range of research and development projects, publications and resources, as well as the delivery of Futurelab’s consultancy offering to support schools, authorities and other stakeholders to develop more transformative visions of future learning spaces. Tim’s research and publications experience also focus on personalisation, learner voice, co-design, the digital divide and community development. He has extensive experience presenting both nationally and internationally to research, policy and practitioner audiences.
Prior to working for Futurelab he was head of evidence and research at Becta, where he worked on a range of policy-related projects and programmes relating to research into ICT and education. Previously he gained his doctorate whilst studying at the University of Bristol, focusing on ICT and the reproduction of social inequalities.
tim [dot] rudd [at] futurelab [dot] org [dot] uk
0117 915 8232
Senior Researcher - Richard Sandford
Richard is one of the researchers working on the Beyond Current Horizons programme, building partnerships, reviewing futures work within the UK and internationally, and exploring the possible implications of this work for education. Previously he was based in Singapore as part of the iLAB2015 collaboration, and before that he led the Teaching with Games project, investigating the place of mainstream computer games in formal learning environments. Richard's research interests are centred around the social behaviours around mobile devices, the ways in which games and play can support learning, and how we can usefully talk about the future. Prior to joining Futurelab, he took a philosophy degree at the University of Leeds, before joining the BBC, where he was involved with the design, development and support of various online communities.
richard [dot] sandford [at] futurelab [dot] org [dot] uk
0117 915 8229
Operations Director - Stephen Sayers
Steve directs the major programmes of work for Futurelab ensuring that they deliver well. Recent examples include the Beyond Current Horizons programme looking at long-term influences on education and responses to them and Futurelab’s work developing the UK’s Harnessing Technology strategy. Steve is responsible for the operational and planning activities of Futurelab including finance, infrastructure and human resources. He plays a major part in setting the organisation's strategy. Steve has been with Futurelab since its launch, prior to that he was Business Development Director for the At-Bristol science centre.
Associations: Academy-Industry Digital Alliance (AIDA) Steering Group
steve [dot] sayers [at] futurelab [dot] org [dot] uk
0117 915 8208
Head of Development - Dan Sutch
Dan has been actively researching education-technology for over ten years as a teacher and a researcher. His research has focused upon the use of technology to support teaching and learning, with a particular focus on the role of the teacher in technology rich classrooms and the processes of educational change and innovation. Dan's current role is as Head of Development at Futurelab, where he works with a range of individuals and organisations to create resources and tools to support young people, teachers, education advisers and the education industry to develop new, innovative approaches to teaching and learning. Prior to joining Futurelab, Dan was a primary school teacher on the outskirts of Bristol.
dan [dot] sutch [at] futurelab [dot] org [dot] uk
0117 915 8221
Project Manager - Duncan Thomson
Duncan is responsible for ensuring that the most effective and appropriate project management practices are used across the range of work that Futurelab carries out, from planning through to final delivery. Prior to this role, he spent 9 years in BBC multimedia production, managing content creation and delivery on a range of platforms. These included award-winning websites for Walking with Beasts and Human Body (BBC Interactive Factual and Learning), as well as Jam (BBC Learning) and iPlayer (BBC Future Media and Technology). Duncan is motivated by best practice and processes that improve efficiency without adversely affecting creativity.
duncan [dot] thomson [at] futurelab [dot] org [dot] uk
0117 915 8225
Finance Administrator - Ha Tong-Wilkins
Ha's role is to assist Steve with the management of Futurelab's financial and reporting systems. This involves maintaining and implementing procedures to efficiently comply with statutory and regulatory requirements, including preparing for audits, producing annual reports and supporting project accounting systems. Before joining Futurelab, Ha worked in the manufacturing sector of banking for four years, and prior to that she studied languages and art. She is currently training in accountancy management.
ha [dot] tong [dash] wilkins [at] futurelab [dot] org [dot] uk
0117 915 8219
Senior Researcher - Mary Ulicsak
Over the last ten years Mary has developed a broad base of skills and experience in all aspects of research. Her strengths include organising and conducting research programs, analysing findings, and communicating results through a variety of media. She also has extensive experience in the development of training material and the presenting of such. A combination of working as an engineer, an industry technology consultant and academic gives her a practical perspective on the use of technology and its implementation, especially within learning environments.
Although she has worked extensively in the field of ICT and digital media in learning her main research interests are in: collaboration through technology, the role of learners as participants in the design process, and the development of learning environments, particularly those incorporating games. Currently she is co-ordinating the research group looking at collaboration within Futurelab; this involves ensuring that not only are the team aware of what is meant, but these issues become fundamental research questions within project work.
mary [dot] ulicsak [at] futurelab [dot] org [dot] uk
0117 915 8218
Senior Researcher - Ben Williamson
Ben Williamson is a senior researcher with experience of qualitative research on curriculum innovation in schools, on the role of videogames and creative software in young people’s social and educational experiences, and on the development of young people’s digital media skills. Ben is particularly interested in how ideas about children and young people are created and circulated, for example by educational policymakers, commercial organisations, and teachers, and in how these affect the planning and management of children’s education. He has presented regularly at educational conferences, and his publications have focused on curriculum innovation, teacher professional development, and children’s science-fiction literature. A graduate of English Literature from Cardiff University and trained as an English teacher and in educational research methods at the University of Bristol, Ben also completed his PhD in American literature, critical theory and pragmatist philosophy at the University of the West of England in 2007.
ben [dot] williamson [at] futurelab [dot] org [dot] uk
0117 915 8217
Research Assistant - Martha Wright
Martha joined Futurelab in 2008 as Stephen Breslin’s PA, her first job after graduating from university, and soon expressed an interest in the activities of the research team. She has since taken a full time role as Research Assistant. Within this role, Martha has assisted with desk research, the writing of research reports and literature reviews, carrying out interviews and questionnaires, dissemination of data and the running of workshops with practitioners and young people. From April 2010, she will mainly be focusing on assessment and games for education, as well as coordinating ten groups of young people who are working with us to maintain and improve the Infocow site. She holds a BSc in Experimental Psychology, and enjoys watching standup comedy and playing her violin in the Brunel Sinfonia orchestra.
martha [dot] wright [at] futurelab [dot] org [dot] uk
0117 915 8235