Dr Sarah Turner
Sarah Turner is a Senior Postdoctoral Fellow at UCL Knowledge Lab and the Principal Investigator on Project CAISE.
Her research focuses on how society engages with emerging digital technologies, specifically:
- With children, families and schools
- How people mitigate and understand the harms that emerging digital technologies pose
Sarah’s PhD, funded by the National Cyber Security Centre, examined how families understand and manage the cybersecurity of smart home technologies.
She has worked with various universities and research organisations to explore a wide range of socio-technical issues, ranging from how schools manage data protection and cyber security, what it means for children to have agency in their interactions with AI, how easy it is for people to recognise when their smart devices are being attacked, and what it means to be a victim of a ransomware attack.
A qualitative researcher, she loves being able to talk to different groups of people about things that they may not have considered before, as well as using interesting methods to shine a light on everyday experiences.
Youyue Sun
Youyue has joined Project CAISE to support the policy analysis work that is embedded throughout the project.
Youyue is a BA Education, Society and Culture student at University College London, with a particular interest in how the emergence of AI is reshaping education systems and wider society. She believes that these two domains are deeply interconnected, which makes it essential to equip learners of all ages with the skills to engage with AI ethically and critically, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds who may have fewer opportunities to access high-quality digital and AI education.
Alongside her studies, Youyue works as a placement student in the Strategy, Insight and Member Engagement Team at Universities UK. Her role involves conducting policy-focused research on the use of AI in higher education.
Youyue is also a member of the Student Council Team at the Good Future Foundation, where she contributes to education and technology initiatives and events. These experiences complement her academic and policy interests, strengthening her commitment to equitable and responsible integration of emerging technologies in education.
Professor Mina Vasalou
Mina Vasalou is acting as Sarah’s mentor for this project.
As part of the Knowledge Lab, Mina has over 10 years of experience of working with emerging technologies for children, with a particular focus on AI.
She has led major research projects including fieldwork in both schools and homes, including Horizon-funded iRead and the UKRI-funded DROPS and CHAI projects.
UCL Knowledge Lab
UCL Knowledge Lab is an interdisciplinary research centre at University College London, focused on understanding how technology and society interact.
Part of the Institute of Education, the Lab brings together researchers from education, computer science, design, and social sciences to investigate digital learning, educational technology, and the social implications of new technologies.
The British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship Scheme
This research is funded by a British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship, which supports outstanding early career researchers across the humanities and social sciences.
The fellowship provides three years of funding to pursue an independent research project with publishable outcomes. The Fellowship is funded by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT).