Dr Maria Sourbati’s research expertise lies at the intersection of communication policy, digital media and ageing, smart mobility, and age relations. Her work explores the tensions between policy-driven diffusion of digital technologies and the everyday, locally situated engagement with ICTs. Her research questions are grounded in themes of diversity, access, and media literacy. Her current research examines the social implications of emerging technologies, with particular focus on mobility, ageing, and data practices.

Dr Sourbati’s work has received funding from national and international research councils, local government bodies, and not-for-profit organisations. She is currently the UK lead for the AGEAI study, a Europe-wide project focussing on age discrimination in Artificial Intelligence. AGEAI investigates discourses and practices surrounding the deployment of AI systems and services across five European countries: Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, and the UK.

Dr Sourbati’s research has been published in high-impact, peer-reviewed journals and academic books, and presented at international conferences. She has also contributed to interviews and workshops hosted by media organisations, public sector bodies, and the Council of Europe.

Maria obtained her BA in Political Science from Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences (Athens). She then completed an MA in Communication Policy (City, London) and a PhD at the Centre for Research into Innovation, Culture and Technology (Brunel, London). Sourbati’s doctorate examined the co-evolution of  technologies, markets and regulation in digital television.

Prior to joining the University of Brighton, Dr Maria Sourbati held research posts at the British Film Institute and Goldsmiths College (London), where she led qualitative studies on older people's engagement with new media.

As a dyslexic academic, Maria has developed a strong interest in the institutional dynamics of access, disablement, and exclusion. She approaches disability as an interface between designed environments, individual circumstances, and personal characteristics, shaped by culturally situated discourses

Research networks

Socio Gero-technology network Socio-Gerontechnology Network

COST Action Network on Ageism IS1402. Ageism: An international, multidisciplinary perspective. EU funded.

Ageing + Communication + Technologies (ACT) Concordia University, Canada. A multi-methodological research network 

Invited talks & keynotes

’Media literacy and social inclusion’, in Media pluralism – how can we deliver? Conference organised by The Council of Europe in partnership with Reporters Without Frontiers, 19-20 March 2019, Strasbourg, France.

’On Age and Equality’, keynote, Battle of the Sexes conference, Greek Society of Adlerian Psychology, 16-17 March 2019, Athens, Greece.

‘Ageism goes digital’ Video talk for the COST IS1402 Conference on ageism from a multi-national interdisciplinary perspective. June 2018  The video can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_92htZbB40

Lund University Department of Communication and Media Symposium: Senior citizens domesticating ICTs.  Lund, Sweden, 27-28 April 2017.

21st IAGG World Congress: A global dialogue on ageing. COST IS1402 Symposium: Public Policies Related to Ageism. San Francisco, CA. 23-27 July 2017.

'Datafied age: Social data and age relations,  YOY ARE MY DATA symposium, Watermans Digital Performance Weekend, organised by the Watermans Arts Centre and London South Bank University as part of the Being Human Festival (Watermans Arts, Saturday 14 November, 11.00–16.00) This talk can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4W4i3s404ng

 ‘Age(ism) in digital information provision: The case of online public services for older adults’ Human Aspects of IT for the Aged Population. Design for Aging. First International Conference, ITAP 2015, Part of Human Computer Interaction International 2015, Los Angeles, CA, USA, August 2-7, 2015.

‘Ageism: A barrier to social inclusion in the 21st century’ INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE on ACTIVE AGEING & EXPO 2015 MILANO “Nutrire la memoria per nutrire le generazioni: anziani attivi e benessere” OssCom and Centro di Ateneo Studi e Ricerche sulla Famiglia, UCSC Università Cattolica, Room Pio XI & Padiglione EXPO European Commission, Milan, Italy, 11-12 May, 2015.

Active Ageing Round Table, European Union Pavilion, EXPO Milano 2015, Milan, Italy12 May 2015.

‘Ageist by default? Representing older age online.’ Journalism and Media Research Seminar Series. Department of Journalism and Media, University of Huddersfield, 21 January 2015.

Media access and diversity: the digital turn, International Symposium on Media Pluralism organised by the Research Institute for Applied Communication, Cyprus. (2009)

Media

“Can internet literacy foster social inclusion?” Interview on media pluralism, Council of Europe Dir General Human Rights and Rule of Law, Strasbourg, 20March 2019 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRDR5xJGkCs

“When Ageism Goes Digital” (Invited blog post) Ageing Equal Campaign #AgeingEqual & #StandUp4HumanRights, AGE Platform Europe, 25 November 2018 https://ageing-equal.org/when-ageism-goes-digital/

 “How do you know when the news is ‘Fake’?” Interview with Claire Russ, Paris Live, Radio France International, 9/12/2016 http://en.rfi.fr/general/20161209-how-distinguish-fake-news-real-news-user-s-guide

Peer reviewing

Convergence (Sage)

International Journal of Performance Arts and Digital Media (Taylor & Francis)

Technology in Society (Elsevier)

Information, Communication and Society (Routledge)

Journal of Applied Gerontology (SAGE)

Journal of Ageing and Social Policy (Taylor & Francis)

New Media and Society (SAGE)

International Journal of Digital Television (Intellect)

Book series and edited collection reviewer for Peter Lang, Berlin, and Sage, London (c. 2009 - 2010)

International conference reviewer, ECREA

Commissioning assessment panel member, Not Equal

Funding application reviewer for the Research Foundation - Flanders (Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek - Vlaanderen, FWO), Belgium

Grant application reviewer for the School for Social Care Research (SSCR), National Institute for Health Research, London School of Economics

Research reports

Behrendt, F., Murray, L., Hancox, A., Sourbati, M. & Huber, J. (2017) Intelligent Transport Solutions for Social Inclusion (ITSSI): Project Report, 22 May 2017, University of Brighton. 128 p.

Carlo, S and Sourbati, M (2015) ‘Older people in digital inclusion policies in the UK and Italy’. COST Action IS1402 STSM:  Comparing digital inclusion of older people policies in UK and Italy. Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Italy, and University of Brighton, UK.

Sourbati, M. (2004) Internet Use in Sheltered Housing: Older people’s access to new media and online service delivery, from ‘The Digital Age:  Opportunities or Exclusion’ Series, Joseph Rowntree Foundation. ISBN 1 85 935 168 9.

Policy advice

Research presentations to the Accessibility Focus Group, UK Online Interactive, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, The Cabinet Office, Stockley House, London (2003)

The DTI/Generics Group/IPSOS study into Consumer Adoption of Digital Television prepared for the DTI Digital TV Project (2004)

I am interested in supervising doctoral students on a range of topics and themes including smart technologies, age relations, ICT access and mobility, digital inclusion, digital literacies, digital inequality and transport-related exclusion.

My past PhD supervision includes projects in media diversity, media regulation, e-government.

Current PhD supervision

Sijuade Olanihun Yusuf (International PhD Studentship) - Social media and negotiation of identity by African Women in Sub-Saharan African countries.

Vicki Painting - How might the ‘orphaned body’ of my mother living through the fourth age be represented other than within the prevailing construct of abject, unproductive and ultimately unsuccessful ageing?