About Sally

Résumé

Sally joined the Department of Communication Studies at the University of Amsterdam in 2000. Previously, she has worked at the Department of Innovation Studies, University of East London; CENTRIM, University of Brighton, the UK Economic and Social Research Council and the Science Policy Research Unit, University of Sussex. Sally completed her BA in economics at McGill University, and her MA also in economics at the University of Sussex. Her PhD was awarded by the department of Technology and Society Studies, University of Maastricht. It is entitled Technology’s Arrow, Developing Information Networks for Public Administration in Britain and the United States Maastricht: Universitaire Pers Maastricht (1998) (ISBN:90-5278-240-7). Some copies are still available, and can be obtained from Sally.

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President of EASST

Sally is President of the European Association for the Study of Science and Technology. EASST is an interdisciplinary scholarly society, which aims to promote work in the analysis of science, technology and society. It reflects the closeness of history, philosophy, psychology, economics, politics and sociology of science in recent years. It also welcomes a policy perspective on science and technology. Cross-disciplinary interaction and cross-fertilisation between humanistic and policy-oriented studies are important aims. These aims are furthered through the EASST general conference, held every other year, workshops and the EASST Review. The most recent conference was held in York, England in August 2002.

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Research interests

Sally has many years of experience of teaching and research in technology studies. A common theme in her work is to understand better the relationship between technological and social change, particularly why the emancipatory potential of technology is often not realised. Key publications are listed below. Her current research is about the role of the Internet in the ways in which people construct risks associated with health problems and treatments. This is being done jointly with colleagues at the University of Brighton - Flis Henwood and Angie Hart, and is funded by the UK Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) under their Innovative Health Technologies Programme. Prior to this, while still working at the University of East London, she did some work with Graham Thomas and Tiziana Terranova about the shaping of the Internet and changing patterns of relationships between producers and users. This was also funded by the ESRC under their Virtual Society? Programme. In the course of that project, she identified the forgotten category of non-users of the Internet, some of whom might actually be voluntarily not using the Internet. She hopes to return to this area of work in the future.

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