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The Distance Lab team

Executive Team

	Stefan Agamanolis Stefan has over 10 years of experience inside the MIT Media Lab, first as a student and later as one of the founding research directors at Media Lab Europe, its former sister lab in Dublin, Ireland. There he led the Human Connectedness group, an interdisciplinary team that explored the future of human relationships as mediated by technology. His work and that of his researchers has won a number of awards and has been exhibited in diverse venues including Ars Electronica (Austria), the Osaka National Museum of Art (Japan), the Victoria and Albert Museum (UK), and the Wired NextFest (USA). He speaks and consults internationally on a variety of digital media topics. He holds Masters and PhD degrees in Media Arts and Sciences from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Computer Science from Oberlin College. He was born and raised in the state of Ohio in the United States.
	Chris Moule Chris has a wealth of commercial experience having started three of his own businesses and assisted in the creation of dozens others. After graduating from Liverpool John Moores University Chris joined the Rank Organisation and went through their Graduate Management Training Programme. After moving to Glasgow in 1994 he went on to manage a number of bars and restaurants before starting his own catering business - Stir Ltd in 2000. After parting with his business partner Chris went onto complete an MBA at Glasgow University and move to a Local Development Company in the North of Glasgow where he created the 'Young Company Development Programme'. This successful programme helped young entrepreneurs create over 60 new businesses. In 2005 Chris joined the University of Strathclyde as their Enterprise Manager and set up the Strathclyde Entrepreneurial Network. Chris worked in the department of Research and Innovation to stimulate commercial activity and assist in the successful licensing of technology. When Chris isn't working he enjoys playing football and strumming his guitar - but the thing he loves the most is spending time with his two young children.
	Alan Alexander Chair Professor Alan Alexander retired from the Chair of Local and Public Management at the Strathclyde Business School, University of Strathclyde in July 2000. He has been a member of two local authorities and of the Board of the Housing Corporation from 1977 to 1980. In 1998-1999 he was a member of the Commission on Local Government and the Scottish Parliament (The McIntosh Commission). He was Chairman of the West of Scotland Water Authority 1999-2002 and Chair of Scottish Water 2002-2006. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 2003. He was a member of the Accounts Commission for Scotland 2002-2008 and of the Economic and Social Research Council 2003-2009. He was Chair of Postwatch Scotland 2007-2008. In 1991, he conducted an independent inquiry into the circumstances that led to the Western Isles Islands Council's large losses in the collapse of the Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI). The Report of the Inquiry, Relations between Comhairle nan Eilean and BCCI was published by the Council in March 1992.

Other staff
Visiting researchers, short-term research appointments, and interns

None at the moment...

Extended Family
key figures and advisors in Distance Lab's extended network

	Angus Aitken Project Advisor Angus is interested in computer software with emphasis on areas such as human machine interaction and computer vision. He holds a BSc Hons in Applied Computing and a MSc in Intelligent Computational Systems both gained from the University of Dundee. Keen to expand his range of skills he enjoys exploring other aspects of digital media and has a growing interest in interactive media and embedded systems. His spare time is spent participating in outdoor sports, experimenting with photography or trying to play the guitar. His research goal is to find new ways of utilizing technology in order to have a positive effect on the world. Angus was a Research Associate at Distance Lab from February 2009 to June 2010.
	Costas Bissas Project Advisor Costas Bissas is exploring alternative ways to experience new technologies in a more humane manner. Having watched MacGyver at an early age, he developed an interest for mechanical engineering, leading to a degree from the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Aeronautics in the University of Patras, Greece. There he specialised in composite materials and design, carrying out projects in the Applied Mechanics Laboratory. He continued his education in the MA Industrial Design course at Central Saint Martins, gaining a wider understanding of the interface between the tangible and intangible worlds and has since worked for design studios in London as well as on individual projects for brands like Nokia, Tetley Tea, Axe/Lynx and Costa Coffee (the name is just a coincidence). Costas was a Research Associate at Distance Lab from March 2008 to May 2010. Visit Costas's personal web site...
	Elena Corchero Project Advisor Elena Corchero is an experienced fashion and interaction designer with a fine arts background and specialist knowledge in smart textiles through work as a researcher at Media Lab Europe. Her fashion and technology creations have appeared in fashion exhibitions and catwalks across the world. She is exploring textile interfaces for clothing and interiors following the themes of keepsakes, relationships, learning and intergenerational exchange. She holds an MA in Textile Futures from Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design. On her free time she enjoys designing small gifts and hand-crafted pieces for her online boutique Lost Values. Elena was a Senior Research Associate at Distance Lab from November 2007 to November 2009. Visit Elena's personal web site...
	Mark Daniels Project Advisor Mark Daniels is a curator interested in smart spaces and responsive environments. He trained as an architect at Kingston University before completing the MA Art as Environment at Manchester Metropolitan University. He was the inaugural Director at Northern Architecture where he curated a diverse range of subjects including love hotels, sitooteries and science fiction cinema. As International Co-ordinator he was responsible for the look and feel of the 2004 Liverpool Biennial. An increasing interest in new media led him to Folly in Lancaster, and now New Media Scotland in 2008. He is based in Edinburgh and loves a little set jetting.
	Hilary Grant Project Advisor Hilary studied Textile Design at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design in Dundee where she specialised in knitted and constructed textiles. Since graduating in 2007 Hilary has worked at DoJ as Designer in Residence and has also completed internships with Alexander McQueen and Clare Tough in London. Hilary is interested in the ways in which textile-based craft process and technique can be explored and developed in conjunction with digital and industrial technologies. She was a Research Fellow at Distance Lab from August 2008 to August 2009. Visit Hilary Grant's personal web site...
	Tomoko Hayashi Project Advisor Tomoko is a multidisciplinary artist/designer trained in traditional Japanese fabric dyeing and fibre art in Kyoto, the centre of beauty, culture and tradition in Japan. This background brings a strong sense of Kyoto's aesthetic and philosophical values to her creative work, which explores the use of tactile and digital media to enhance the intimacy and human connection facilitated by contemporary communication technologies. Her collaborative projects have been exhibited in two world-renowned museums, the V&A in London and the National Museum of Art, Osaka in 2005 and 2007. Her work also reflects her nomadic nature, having lived and worked in five different countries, places where she has been exposed to various cultures that together fuel the unique essence of her work. She holds an MA in Textile Futures from Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London and Bachelor of Arts degree from Kyoto Seika University. Tomoko was a Research Associate at Distance Lab from July 2008 to December 2009. Visit Tomoko's personal web site...
	Cindy Jeffers Project Advisor Cindy enjoys building interactive experiences, objects and sculptures. Prior to joining Distance Lab she was an interaction designer at the American Museum of Natural History where she transformed scientific and anthropological ideas into interactive learning experiences for museum visitors. Her interest in interactivity and physical computing stems from a previous professional path in cinematography, which resulted in a frustration with the intangible, passive nature of film watching and a need to touch and interact with her work. Among other things, Cindy is currently exploring novel technological approaches to facilitate the process of reconciliation in post-conflict countries. She holds a Masters degree from the Interactive Telecommunications Program at New York University and a Bachelors degree in Women's Studies from Barnard College. Cindy was a Research Associate at Distance Lab from September 2007 to December 2009. Visit Cindy's personal web site...
	Matthew Karau Project Advisor Matt is an Electrical Engineer whose professional experience runs the gamut from independent media art installations to electronics design for Fortune 500 companies. As an undergraduate, he worked in the Spatial Imaging Group and Tangible Media Group of the MIT Media Lab and later worked as a Research Fellow in the Everyday Learning Group of Media Lab Europe. Matt is particularly interested in ambient recording methods and devices to create digital artefacts for current and future generations. In addition to a consulting role at ART+COM, Matt holds a teaching position in the Digital Media Design Course at the University of the Arts (UdK) Berlin (Germany). He has also led courses and workshops in a range of institutions, including the No. 2 High School (EFZ) at East China Normal University (China), Trinity College Dublin (Ireland), Mediamatic (Amsterdam, Netherlands), and the University of Design "HfG" Karlsruhe (Germany). Matt holds a BSc (6-1) in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from MIT and a Certificate (Dux) in Cuisine de Base from Le Cordon Bleu, Sydney (Australia). He was a Senior Research Associate at Distance Lab from January 2007 to August 2008. Visit Matt's personal web site...
	Florian 'Floyd' Mueller Project Advisor Florian 'Floyd' Mueller is a researcher in novel interfaces that bridge the gap between human bodies and technology. He is best known for developing the concepts of "Sports over a Distance" and "Exertion Interfaces", interfaces that deliberately require intense physical effort. He applies networking technology to activities that lie outside the realm of work-related tasks to contribute to people's well-being despite them being geographically apart. Floyd earned his first degree in Digital Media from Furtwangen, Germany. He received his second degree in Multimedia from Griffith University in Brisbane and a Masters degree in Media Arts and Sciences from the MIT Media Lab in Cambridge, USA. He has extensive experience from the USA, Australia, Ireland and Germany, where he worked for industry and academic research organizations such as Virtual Artists, Springer Verlag, Xerox PARC, FX Palo Alto Laboratory, MIT, Media Lab Europe and the University of Melbourne. His last appointment was Principal Scientist at CSIRO - Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Australia, where he led the "Connecting People" group, consisting of 12 staff, researching the future of human connectedness. Floyd was a Research Fellow at Distance Lab from July to September 2007. Visit Floyd's personal web site...
	Hannah Perner-Wilson Project Advisor Hannah started exploring alternative human computer interaction concepts because she is upset with the way we currently interface with computation. By breaking technologies down to a basic level, she is able to develop her own interaction solutions and scenarios. She first started working with wearable technology during her studies and has since developed this practice, publishing DIY Instructables for individual solutions and fun ideas. Since working together with Mika Satomi on Massage me, both continue to collaborate on wearable technology projects under the name Kobakant. Kobakant believes in the spirit of humoring technology and maintaining a twisted criticism toward the stereotypes it creates. Hannah holds a Bachelor degree in Industrial Design from the Art University of Linz, Austria. She was a Research Fellow at Distance Lab from February to August 2009. Visit Hannah's personal web site...
	Mika Satomi Project Advisor Mika is originally from Japan and currently a PhD candidate at University of Art and Industrial Design Linz, Austria. She has studied Graphic Design at Tokyo Zokei University, Media Art at Institute of Advanced Media Arts and Science (IAMAS), Japan. In her practice, her interest is to experiment with technology as a medium of expression and to understand its language capability. The main focus of her research is Play Theory by Johan Huizinga, and how we integrate technology in mechanisms of play in our time. Her favorite thinker is Ludwig Wittgenstein. Since 2007, she has been collaborating with Hannah Perner-Wilson under the name Kobakant. Their projects often involve Wearable Technology, turning one's body into an interface, creating unusual interaction between humans and machines, but also between humans (users) and humans (audience). KOBAKANT pursue their practice with the spirit of Open Source and sharing knowledge. Mika was a Research Fellow at Distance Lab from March to October 2009. Visit Mika's personal web site...