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About

Anastasia Sergeeva is a leading scholar in the sociomaterial study of technology, with a primary focus on how robotic systems transform human coordination, embodiment, and work practices in high-stakes environments like surgery. Her research masterfully bridges information systems, organization studies, and human-robot interaction to reveal the profound, often overlooked, consequences of introducing advanced technologies into collaborative settings. Sergeeva’s most influential work, “Losing Touch: An Embodiment Perspective on Coordination in Robotic Surgery” (2020, 111 citations), fundamentally challenges existing coordination theories by demonstrating how robotic mediation alters the embodied, sensory foundations of teamwork. Through a rigorous 25-month field study of the Da Vinci surgical robot, she traces how the loss of tactile and physical engagement reshapes surgical practice, a contribution detailed in her widely recognized 2018 paper. Her ongoing work, including a 2025 study on relating to robots in-the-wild, pushes the field beyond anthropomorphism, advocating for a practice-based understanding of human-robot relations. Sergeeva’s research is essential reading for anyone interested in the materiality of digital technology, practice change, and the real-world implications of automation in professional work.