Professor Hazel Hall in 2023

I’m an Emeritus Professor in the School of Computing, Engineering, and the Built Environment (SCEBE) at Edinburgh Napier University, and Docent in Information Studies in the School of Business and Economics at Åbo Akademi, Finland.

This is my personal web site. Here I maintain a blog, showcase my on-going work with the staff and research students in SCEBE’s Social Informatics Research Group, keep an archive of my research outputs and popular hand-outs, link through to my external presentations on SlideShare, and provide my full contact details for anyone who would like to get in touch with me.

There is a Wikipedia page that provides details of my early life, career, education, recognition, and personal life.

My main research expertise and teaching interests lie in information sharing in online environments within the context of knowledge management. Other themes in which I maintain an active interest include information behaviour and use, online communities and collaboration, library and information science research, and research impact. I am an award-winning PhD supervisor of research students who undertake doctoral studies in these areas.

I have published and presented widely for international refereed journals and conferences (including keynote presentations at international events), with further publication activity including professional press and monograph contributions. I very much enjoy speaking at external events, and welcome invitations to do so.

My work cuts across the interests of three of the major UK research councils: the EPSRC, the ESRC and the AHRC. For example, I have served on panels of the EPSRC, in 2012/13 I was chair of the Information Science pathway of the ESRC’s Scottish Doctoral Training Centre, and from 2005 to 2009 I was a member of the Peer Review College for the AHRC. I had a particular interest in RCUK’s Digital Economy (DE) programme as a member of the DE programme impact review panel in 2012, in my appointment to the DE Programme Advisory Board (PAB) in 2014, and my appointment as the PAB’s Chair for the period 2015-2018.

I was a panel member for the Research Assessment Framework (REF) 2021 Unit of Assessment 34 Communication, Cultural and Media Studies, Library and Information Management.

I have served on the editorial boards of the Journal of Information Science, Library and Information Science Research and Aslib Journal of Information Management. I also have much experience of conference organisation, having worked on a number of international conference programme committees (as listed on my CV). I was a trustee of the John Campbell Trust from 2009 to 2014.

Other external duties completed in the past have included serving on the British Library Advisory Committee for Research and Innovation, committees of the Institute of Information Scientists and UKOLUG (now UKeIG).

I have performed several roles at various examination boards and validations in both in the UK and internationally, examining to PhD level in English and in French.

I have an extensive contact network that comprises information/knowledge management and social computing/media practitioners and researchers across academia and industry. I have completed research and consultancy with companies such as KPMG, Sun Microsystems, TFPL Ltd and Scottish Enterprise. I worked in London on a full-time secondment with TFPL Ltd in 2006, supported by the award of an Industrial Secondment Grant from the Royal Academy of Engineering.

I have won a number of awards for my research and teaching. These include the 2019 Clarivate Analytics Outstanding Information Science Teacher Award, the SICSA PhD Supervisor of the Year Silver Award 2017, and the 2016 Jason Farradane Award. My work leading the implementation of the UK Library and Information Science Research Coalition completed between 2009 and 2012 was recognised in the award of IWR Information Professional of the Year 2009, and the 2011 SLA Europe Information Professional award. I was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 2017.

From 2013 until 2016 I was Edinburgh Napier University’s Academic Champion for Athena SWAN, the charter for gender equality in higher education. In this role I managed the work at institutional level that led to the first three successful Athena SWAN submissions for the University: institutional bronze in November 2014, and two departmental bronze awards in November 2016 (Computing, and Engineering and Built Environment) – all achieved at first attempt.

I hold a PhD awarded by the (then) School of Computing at Edinburgh Napier (my doctoral thesis considered the role of intranets in knowledge sharing) and a Masters degree in Library and Information Studies. I studied French and Italian language and literature as an undergraduate at the Universities of Birmingham, Nantes and Paris Sorbonne.

Details on contacting me are given on the Contacts page of this web site. The best way to get in touch is to send an email to h.hall@napier.ac.uk.