Gabriela Avram

Gabriela Avram is Lecturer in Digital Media and Interaction Design in the Department of Computer Science and Information Systems, and a senior member of the Interaction Design Centre. Building on a Computer Supported Cooperative Work and Knowledge Management background, her current research focuses on the collaborative economy and on the role of digital platforms in supporting civic engagement of local communities.   

Currently, Gabriela is the coordinator of the COST Action CA16121 From Sharing to Caring: Examining Socio-Technical Aspects of the Collaborative Economy.

Between 2013 and 2017, Gabriela was Principal Investigator on the EU meSch project(http://mesch-project.eu), leading the meSch team at the University of Limerick that focused on co-design in cultural heritage organisations.

She is the founder and the chair of the IxDA Limerick chapter. Between 2007 and 2014, she organised, in collaboration with James Corbett,  3Dcamp, an unconference-style event dedicated to 3D visualizations, virtual worlds and ubiquitous computing.

She has worked on numerous international research projects on topics such as: adult learning, cultural and social aspects of collaboration, distributed work practices, Open Source communities, and the adoption and uses of social media for work-related purposes in various environments. She has published extensively in international conferences and journals.

Gabriela has extensive teaching experience, acquired both in academia and in a business environment. She lectured in 3rd level institutions in Romania, Germany, France and Ireland.

She holds a PhD in Information Systems from the Academy of Economic Studies in Bucharest (Romania). Between 2003 and 2005, she has undertaken postdoctoral studies in Germany and Luxembourg, focusing on connecting knowledge management and e-learning initiatives. During the socGSD research project (2005-2008) at the University of Limerick, she studied collaborative work practices in cross-cultural environments, working with IBM, HP and Intel.