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About

Jenny Waycott is a prominent researcher whose work sits at the intersection of human-computer interaction, gerontechnology, and ethics of care. She has built a distinguished body of scholarship focused on how emerging technologies — particularly social robots, tablets, and virtual reality — can be meaningfully and ethically integrated into the lives of older adults, especially those residing in aged care facilities or experiencing social isolation. Waycott's most impactful contribution examines social robotics in aged care, exploring how these technologies can preserve older adults' dignity and autonomy while complementing the work of care staff. Her 2021 paper on dignity and robotic companionship has garnered 70 citations, reflecting the field's keen appetite for nuanced ethical analysis. Her research doesn't shy away from difficult questions — including whether social robots might alter human moral behaviour toward vulnerable beings — demonstrating a rare willingness to challenge technological optimism with rigorous critical inquiry. Crucially, Waycott brings ethics to the foreground, applying frameworks such as Tronto's ethics of care to robot design and deployment. Her work speaks directly to students and practitioners navigating real-world decisions about technology adoption in care settings, making her scholarship both academically rigorous and practically indispensable in an ageing global society.