Gianna Cassidy

Professor
Glasgow Caledonian University
Gianna is a Music Psychologist and Professor of Digital Design Technologies. She joined GCU in 2007 as a Lecturer in Interactive Entertainment Design in the now School of Computing, Engineering and Built Environment, before joining the Yunus Centre in 2016. She holds an MAHons in Psychology and Music from the University of Glasgow, and developed her interdisciplinary interest through a PHD in Psychology addressing the impact of music on the user experience of videogames.

Gianna’s research focuses on the intersection between Music and Technology for wellbeing, including the impact of digitally mediated musical engagement on social, emotional and cognitive parameters of wellbeing and creativity. Funded areas of work to date include dementia, rehabilitation, healthy-aging, under-activity, and STEM learning. More generally, Gianna’s research focuses on the design and evaluation of Applied Engaging Technologies i.e., the application the tools and techniques of Computer Games, apps and related Emerging Technologies to engage users with serious contexts such as humanitarian challenges, supporting health and wellbeing, raising awareness of contemporary social issues, and training people in applied contexts.

Gianna's awards and funders include: European Society for the Cognitive Sciences of Music Young Researcher Award, Young UK and Ireland Thinker of the Year Dunblane Medal; Game Changer Award for Excellence from Universities of Scotland; Nesta and the Department of Health; Edinburgh and Lothian Health Foundation; EPSRC First Grant, and network grants from The Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland and the AHRC. She has published in Journals including Psychology of Music, Research Studies in Music Education, Musicae Scientiae, and the Scandinavian Journal of Psychology.

Gianna leads the eMotion UX Lab and the Applied Games and Engaging Technologies Research Group at GCU, reviews for several journals in psychology, sits on the editorial board of the Journal of Sound and Music in Games, is GCU representative on the Scottish Policy & Research Exchange Network, and was a founding member and Trustee of Playlist for Life.

Her current teaching centres around User Psychology, Usability and Research Methods in contexts of digital design and evaluation, and she has also taught modules on HCI, Narrative, Individual Differences and Game Design.

She currently supervises several PhD students in areas including the social prescribing of music interventions, exploring the value of the arts, and the evidence-based design of applied games and engaging technologies for social impact in a range of health, wellbeing and educational contexts. Gianna welcomes applications from those interested in the psychology of music, and the application of engaging technologies to humanitarian, health and wellbeing, and educational challenges.