Martin Gibbs

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About

Martin Gibbs is a pioneering researcher working at the compelling intersection of death studies, media studies, and emerging technologies. His scholarship explores how digital and robotic technologies are fundamentally reshaping human experiences of death, dying, and grief — a field that has grown increasingly relevant as technology becomes ever more embedded in our most intimate rituals. Among his most notable contributions, Gibbs has examined what he terms "necro-technologies" — media technologies specifically designed for the deceased — interrogating the tension between their promise of digital permanence and the precarious realities of technological obsolescence. His 2021 article on this subject has already garnered 20 citations, reflecting strong scholarly interest in this emerging area. Equally significant is his groundbreaking exploration of robotic funerary practice, investigating how non-human, mechanised agents are transforming care for the dead and challenging long-held assumptions about what constitutes meaningful mourning ritual. This work has accumulated 14 citations since its 2021 publication. Gibbs' research is notable for its interdisciplinary courage, bridging fields rarely brought into conversation. For students and researchers navigating questions about technology, mortality, and cultural meaning-making, his work offers an essential and thought-provoking framework.