Dr Marta Cecchinato

Assistant Professor

School: Computer Science

Dr Marta E. Cecchinato is an Assistant Professor in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) at Northumbria University, where she researches how technology shapes work, wellbeing, and inclusivity in the digital age. Her work focuses on equity, digital resilience, and the future of work, investigating how digital tools can both challenge and support diverse working experiences.

Her research has been published in top-tier HCI venues, with several papers receiving awards (Best Paper Awards at CHI 2015, CHI 2021; Honourable Mentions at CHIWORK 2022, CHIPLAY 2022). Her work has also been featured in New Scientist, The Conversation, BBC Science Focus, DW TV (live interview), and has contributed to UK Parliamentary Inquiries on digital policy and work, including the effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

She is an excellent public speaker with media training, having delivered public engagement talks such as Soapbox Science, stand up comedy events (Bright Club), as well as several presentations at academic and industry conferences.

She is also an active member of the international HCI community and committed to service and leadership in the field. She has recently served as General Chair for CHIWORK 2024 hosted at Northumbria, and is currently a member of the CHI Steering Committee and CHIWORK Steering Committee. Within the Department, she is the Athena Swan lead, advocating for gender equity and inclusion in academia.

Before joining Northumbria, Marta worked at Microsoft Research Cambridge, the UCL Interaction Centre (UCLIC), Helsinki University, and the Helsinki Institute for Information Technology (HIIT). She hold a BSc and MSc in Psychology from the University of Padua (Italy) and a PhD in HCI from UCLIC.

Email Marta

Research Themes and Scholarly Interests

Dr Marta E. Cecchinato's work focuses on equity, digital resilience, and the future of work, investigating how digital tools can both challenge and support diverse working experiences.

Rooted in a person-centred philosophy and interdisciplinarity, Marta takes a pragmatic, exploratory approach, often conducting deep dives into systemic issues around contemporary work environments, social justice, and digital inclusion. Her research primarily employs qualitative, (auto)ethnographic, and design methods, but she have also used logging tools, rapid prototyping, and statistical analysis to evaluate interventions and uncover broader insights.

Marta's research spans a range of topics, including:

Work-life balance, digital wellbeing, and mental wellbeing across different user groups, including students, knowledge workers, junior doctors, gig economy workers, and new parents.
New ways of working, exploring how hybrid practices, AI and platform work are changing the work landscape.
Digital tracking and data use in work environments, exploring its impact on employee wellbeing and fairness.
Neurodiversity and inclusion in the workplace, designing interventions that support diverse needs.
Misinformation and communication practices, particularly within families and social networks.
Gender disparities in work and care responsibilities, including experiences of rejection in digital spaces (e.g., dating apps).

Key Publications

Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
Accidental spreaders: How Different Roles Interact During Misinformation Discussions, Scott, L., Warner, M., Coventry, L., Cecchinato, M. 18 Jun 2025, Proceedings of the 23rd EUSSET Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work, European Society for Socially Embedded Technologies (EUSSET)
Affective interaction and affective computing-past, present and future, Ahmadpour, N., Lotteridge, D., Fritsch, J., Sas, C., Cecchinato, M., Harrison, D., Höök, K., Foong, P., Ijaz, K., Gough, P., Cao, Y., Li, X., Lazem, S., Sachathep, T. 25 Apr 2025, CHI EA '25: Extended Abstracts of the CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, New York, US, ACM
Between Promise and Practice: How the UK VCSE Sector Adopts Generative AI, Clark, D., Cecchinato, M., Dow, A. 23 Jun 2025, CHIWORK '25 Adjunct: Adjunct Proceedings of the 4th Annual Symposium on Human-Computer Interaction for Work, New York, NY, United States, ACM
Designing for Neurodiversity in Academia: Addressing Challenges and Opportunities in Human-Computer Interaction, Tcherdakoff, N., Stangroome, G., Milton, A., Holloway, C., Cecchinato, M., Nonnis, A., Eagle, T., Al-Thani, D., Hong, H., Williams, R. 25 Apr 2025, CHI EA '25: Extended Abstracts of the CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, New York, NY, United States, ACM
‘Now you’re home’: Awareness cues, rejection and post-digital safety on mobile dating apps, Campaioli, G., Zamperini, A., Cecchinato, M. 19 May 2025, In: New Media and Society
Rethinking Family Informatics through a Data Feminist Lens: A Duoethnography of Shared Data, (In)visible Labor, and Everyday Tracking: Rethinking Family Informatics through a Data Feminist Lens, Cecchinato, M., Harrison, D. 19 Dec 2025, In: ACM Transactions on Computing for Healthcare
ADHD and Knowledge Work: Exploring Strategies, Challenges and Opportunities for AI, Campbell, J., Çerçi, S., Cecchinato, M. 9 Jul 2024, Design for Equality and Justice, Cham, Switzerland, Springer
Evaluating the Effects of Culture and Relationship Strength on Misinformation Challenging Behaviours Within the UK, Scott, L., Cecchinato, M., Coventry, L., Warner, M. 25 Aug 2023, Human-Computer Interaction – INTERACT 2023, Cham, Switzerland, Springer
“I figured her feeling a little bit bad was worth it to not spread that kind of hate”: Exploring how UK families discuss and challenge misinformation, Scott, L., Coventry, L., Cecchinato, M., Warner, M. 19 Apr 2023, CHI '23: Proceedings of the 2023 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, New York, ACM
Remote Work, Work Measurement and the State of Work Research in Human-Centred Computing, Gould, S., Rudnicka, A., Cook, D., Cecchinato, M., Newbold, J., Cox, A. 1 Sep 2023, In: Interacting with Computers

PGR Supervision

Lauren Scott Misinformation, communication, and challenges: how technology can be used to support misinformation correction within UK family networks Start Date: 25/08/2022 End Date: 28/02/2025