Diversity | Inclusion | Technology

People

Fossbox CIC is a non-profit social enterprise made up of creatives, technologists, and academics. Our income is from grant funding as well as consultancy services. Profit is re-invested in community projects to which we also donate time. Fossbox’ overall agenda is set by our Steering Group taken from Fossbox’ network of collaborators which is also responsible for oversight of reserved funds.

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paula graham-gazzard profile picPaula Gazzard has worked in academia, media and digital industries before founding Fossbox in 2005 to translate collaborative research into real-world impacts with universities, civil society, and creative industries. She is an experienced strategist, researcher and policy analyst with a particular interest in creative industries and wider impact of digital technologies. Paula has a PhD in Culture & Communication from the University of Sussex and has been a partner/co-investigator in numerous research collaborations funded by Research Councils UK/EU. She was Creative Entrepreneur in Residence at QMUL, and Hon Fellow in Diversity & Creative Industries at the University of Westminster. Paula was also Director of Policy & External Relations at the Council for Higher Education in Art & Design, a member of the All-Party Parliamentary Design and Innovation Group, and Director of the Contemporary Visual Arts Network. A keen advocate for diversity in creative and digital industries, Paula is currently a member of the Creative Industries Federation working group on creative skills and education and the research advisory group for Autistica.
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les hutchinsCharles Céleste Hutchins was born in San Jose, California in 1976. Growing up in Silicon Valley, he started programming at a young age and has continued to do so, even after leaving dot coms to pursue music composition – obtaining an MA from Wesleyan University in 2005 and a PhD from the University of Birmingham in 2012. His recent work has focused on gendered labour and AI.

lisa haskell profile picLisa Haskel is a developer, researcher and teacher interested in collaborative practice, open source software and empowerment around technological tools. She holds a PhD in Engineering from Bournemouth University and began her collaboration with Fossbox as part of her PhD research working collaboratively with a consortium of nine East London advice agencies to use participatory design methods to develop an open-source, shared case management database which would ensure the privacy of each agency’s clients and generate anonymised reporting statistics. Lisa currently lectures in computer science at Roehampton University.

gemma north pub photoGemma North is a researcher and facilitator interested in neurodiversity and organisational culture, with a particular focus on equality and diversity in the workplace. She uses participatory, inclusive and emancipatory research methods to address complex social issues. Recent project work includes autistic women and employment and changing organisational culture. Gemma has professional experience in the social justice domain and holds a PhD in Social Work from the University of Sussex. Prior to this, Gemma had a career in communications and media production. She takes creative and innovative approaches to collaborative opportunities such as using technology for promoting meaningful social inclusion.

Executive Chair: Charles Céleste Hutchins
Steering Group: Maf’j Alvarez, Lisa Haskell, Gemma North, David Richardson, Stephen Maddison
Company Directors: Paula Gazzard

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