Carman Neustaedter named dean of Faculty of Communication, Art and Technology

Carman Neustaedter, a professor and director for the School of Interactive Arts & Technology, has been named dean of the Faculty of Communication, Art and Technology starting Dec. 1, 2020. Owen Underhill will continue to serve as dean pro tem until then.

Neustaedter first joined SFU as an assistant professor in 2010. Before that he was a research scientist at Kodak Research Labs.

His research is in the field of human-computer interaction. He studies social culture, user behaviors, group collaboration, and ubiquitous and mobile technology design. This has involved studying, designing, and evaluating a range of technologies including communication, telepresence, and gaming systems. His work spans computing science, interaction design, and the social sciences. His books, Connecting Families: The Impact of New Communication Technologies on Domestic life and Studying and Designing Technologies for Dometic Life: Lessons From Home document key portions of his research and methodological practices.

“FCAT is full of amazing people, ideas, and creative work," says Neustaedter. "I have always valued working with such a diverse set of people, especially when interdisciplinarity is at the core of what we do. I am honoured to be leading FCAT as it moves forward into its second decade, working closely with its schools and programs. With such diverse talent and expertise, I’m confident we can respond effectively to the needs of our students, researchers and communities.”

Jonathan Driver, provost and vice-president, academic, says, “Neustaedter is a strong interdisciplinary researcher who appreciates and supports the diversity of academic programs that FCAT contributes to SFU’s vision of engagement.

“I also want to thank Owen Underhill who has served as dean pro tem as we conducted a search.”