Barbara Barbosa Neves

Barbara Barbosa Neves, PhD, FRSA, FHEA is a Portuguese-Australian sociologist known for her research in aging and technology that focuses on loneliness, social isolation, and digital inequalities among older adults.[1] She is a Senior Horizon Fellow at the University of Sydney, where she leads the AI social science research stream and studies artificial intelligence (AI) and healthy aging at the Sydney Centre for Healthy Societies.[2] Neves holds a PhD in social sciences from the University of Lisbon and Netlab at the University of Toronto.[3] Her research has informed policy, care practices, and technological development.[1]

Education

Neves earned her PhD in sociology from the University of Lisbon and University of Toronto, studying Internet usage and social capital under the supervision of Professor Barry Wellman.[3] She holds a Master of Science in sociology and a degree in communication sciences from the University of Lisbon.[4][3] During her doctoral studies, she was an invited scholar at the Summer Doctoral Programme at Oxford University’s Internet Institute and a visiting scholar at the University of Oslo’s Department of Media and Communication.[5][6]

Career

Neves began her academic career as an Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Lisbon, where she collaborated with their Centre for Public Administration & Policies and the eplanning lab at the University of Aveiro to conduct research on the sociology of technology, aging, and social capital.[4]

She then joined the University of Toronto as a Research Associate and Associate Director of the Technologies for Aging Gracefully Lab in the Department of Computer Science, where she led interdisciplinary teams with Professor Ron Baecker developing communication technologies for older adults in nursing homes.[7] Her research focused on examining how information and communication technologies could enhance social connectedness and inclusion among older adults.[8]

Following this, Neves served as a Lecturer in Sociology at the University of Melbourne[9] and Senior Lecturer in Sociology Monash University,[10] where she expanded her research on loneliness and social isolation among older Australians.[11] She conducted studies on the lived experiences of loneliness among older people living in care homes and those living alone during the COVID-19 pandemic.[12][13] Her work at Monash included developing mixed methods approaches to studying technology’s role in addressing social isolation and loneliness in later life.[14]

In 2024, Neves was appointed to a Senior Horizon Fellowship at the University of Sydney, where she works at the Sydney Centre for Healthy Societies.[2] Her current research examines how emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and robotics can benefit rather than exclude older people.[15][16][17] She leads projects including an Australian Research Council Discovery Project on loneliness and technology, multiple Medical Research Future Fund grants on dementia, and a national evaluation of the Aged Care Volunteer Visitors Scheme for the Australian Department of Health and Aged Care.[1][18]

Research

Neves’ research examines the links between social and digital inequalities from a life course perspective, focusing on how emerging technologies—including artificial intelligence, robotics, and virtual and augmented reality—affect social inclusion and social health of older adults. Her studies on loneliness in later life include an ethnographic study in Australian care homes and COVID-19 diary studies that documented how isolation measures disrupted lonely older people’s coping mechanisms.[12][13]

Neves developed a theoretical model for technology implementation based on strong structuration theory, showing that personal factors, social environments, and prior experiences influence technology use more than age alone.[19][20] Her work on digital inequalities documents the Matthew effect,[21] where existing advantages lead to greater technological benefits, while her AI research in long-term care identifies ageism and knowledge gaps between developers and care staff.[22]

Neves has contributed theoretically by framing loneliness as “existential inequality” affecting personal dignity;[23] advancing the understanding of the social stigma of loneliness;[24] and, in partnership with Miles Franklin Literary Awardee Josephine Wilson, developing “live gerontology”—an approach combining gerontological research with creative works to better understand and represent aging experiences.[25][26][27] She has also developed the concepts of “sociotechnical ageism" (ageism built into technology) and "faux users" (older adults who use digital technology but don’t perceive themselves as users because they need help from others, like family).[28][29]

Her methodological contributions include improving ways to study technology use among older adults via usability and accessibility techniques.[30] Her work includes mixed methods that combine social and computer sciences, such as the “design-in-action” approach, which allows researchers to adjust their methods during longitudinal studies with vulnerable groups when ethical or practical issues come up.[14]

Neves' work has informed social policy and care practices in Canada, Australia, and Portugal;[1] helped improve technology design for older adults, including via the InTouch/FamliNet app to help address loneliness in later life;[31] and been cited by the United Nations, OECD, European Union, Australian Human Rights Commission, and government and policy reports in 13 countries.[32]

Awards and recognition

Neves has received 28 awards internationally,[1] including the George Story Distinguished Lecturer Award at Memorial University (2023),[33] Jacques Leclercq Chair in Digital Technology & Society at the University of Louvain (2019),[34] and recognition as one of the ABC’s Top 5 Scholars in Humanities and Social Sciences in Australia (2019).[35] Her scientific articles have received awards from the Association of Computing Machinery (2021, 2022), Caixa Geral de Depositos (2012), and Mather Institute (2024).[36] Neves has also received over $6 million in funding from scientific and industry organizations across Australia, the European Union, and Canada.[37]

Professional affiliations

Neves has been a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA) since 2022 and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA) since 2023.[4][38][39][40] She is on the editorial board of Sociology, the flagship journal of the British Sociological Association, and a board member of the International Sociological Association’s Working Group on Digital Sociology.[41][42] From 2011 to 2023, she was an elected board member of the International Sociological Association’s Committee on Family Research.[43]

Media and public engagement

Neves’ research on loneliness, social isolation, and technology has been covered in Australian media outlets including ABC News,[44] SBS,[45] The Guardian,[46] The Age,[47] and The Sydney Morning Herald,[48] as well as in international outlets across North America, Europe, and Latin America.[49][50][51] She has authored op-eds for The Conversation and ABC on topics including AI and ageism, loneliness during COVID-19, digital inclusion among older adults, and the role of technology in addressing social isolation.[52][53][54]

Neves was interviewed for the SBS documentary “What Does Australia Really Think About Old People?,"[55] and has appeared on podcasts including God Forbid,[56] Aged Care Insite,[57] Future Tense,[58] Narrative Now,[59] Sunday Morning,[60] and SBS News In Depth.[61] She has also delivered over 100 invited keynotes and talks across five continents,[36] including at The Australian Loneliness Dialogue Conference,[62] International Congress of Aging Studies,[63] and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.[64]

Publications

Neves has authored over 90 scholarly publications, with over 4,300 citations and an h-index of 33.[40] Her most-cited works include:

  • Neves, B.B., Franz, R., Judges, R., Beermann, C., & Baecker, R. (2019). Can digital technology enhance social connectedness among older adults? A feasibility study. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 38(1), 49–72.  https://doi.org/10.1177/073346481774136
  • Neves, B. B., Fonseca, J. R., Amaro, F., & Pasqualotti, A. (2018). Social capital and Internet use in an age-comparative perspective with a focus on later life. PLoS One, 13(2), e0192119. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0192119
  • Neves, B. B., Sanders, A., & Kokanović, R. (2019). “It’s the worst bloody feeling in the world”: Experiences of loneliness and social isolation among older people living in care homes. Journal of Aging Studies, 49, 74–84. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaging.2019.100785
  • Neves, B. B., & Vetere, F. (Eds.). (2019). Ageing and Digital Technology: Designing and Evaluating Emerging Technologies for Older Adults. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-3693-5
  • Neves, B. B., Waycott, J., & Malta, S. (2018). Old and afraid of new communication technologies? Reconceptualising and contesting the ‘age-based digital divide’. Journal of Sociology, 54(2), 236–248. https://doi.org/10.1177/1440783318766119

References

  1. ^ a b c d e The University of Sydney. "People: Dr Barbara Barbosa Neves". Retrieved 28 May 2025.
  2. ^ a b The University of Sydney. "AI Social Science Theme". Research themes. Retrieved 28 May 2025.
  3. ^ a b c Neves, Barbara Barbosa (2025). "Education". LinkedIn. Retrieved 29 May 2025.
  4. ^ a b c Neves, Barbara Barbosa (29 September 2009). "About". Mushin: Virtual phylogeny of a sociological & feminist mind. Retrieved 28 May 2025.
  5. ^ Bulger, Monica (11 Jan 2010). "Even More Thoughts on SDP 2008: The Network Definitely Continues…". Oxford Internet Institute: News. Retrieved 26 May 2025.
  6. ^ International Sociological Association (2015). "Barbara Barbosa Neves". The Futures We Want: Global Sociology and the Struggles for a Better World. Retrieved 28 May 2025.
  7. ^ TAGLab. "Barbara Barbosa Neves: Associate Director". Technologies for Aging Gracefully Lab | People. Retrieved 24 May 2025.
  8. ^ Neves, Barbara Barbosa; Franz, Rachel; Judges, Rebecca; Beermann, Christian; Baecker, Ron (2019). "Can Digital Technology Enhance Social Connectedness Among Older Adults? A Feasibility Study". Journal of Applied Gerontology. 38 (1): 49–72. doi:10.1177/0733464817741369. hdl:10400.5/29287. ISSN 0733-4648. PMID 29166818.
  9. ^ "Barbara Barbosa Neves". Bristol University Press. Retrieved 2025-05-29.
  10. ^ "Barbara Barbosa Neves". Monash University. Archived from the original on 2024-04-29. Retrieved 2025-05-29.
  11. ^ ""Barbara Barbosa Neves"". ORCID. Retrieved 2025-05-29.
  12. ^ a b Neves, BB; Sanders, A; Kokanović, R (2019). ""It's the worst bloody feeling in the world": Experiences of loneliness and social isolation among older people living in care homes". Journal of Aging Studies. 49: 74–84. doi:10.1016/j.jaging.2019.100785. PMID 31229221.
  13. ^ a b Neves, BB; Colón Cabrera, D; Sanders, A; Warren, N (2023). "Pandemic Diaries: Lived Experiences of Loneliness, Loss, and Hope Among Older Adults During COVID-19". The Gerontologist. 63 (1): 120–130. doi:10.1093/geront/gnac104. ISSN 0016-9013. PMC 9384492. PMID 35868621.
  14. ^ a b Neves, Barbara Barbosa; Baecker, Ron (2022). "Mixing Methods and Sciences: A Longitudinal Cross-Disciplinary Mixed Methods Study on Technology to Address Social Isolation and Loneliness in Later Life". Journal of Mixed Methods Research. 16 (1): 88–113. doi:10.1177/1558689820977646. hdl:10400.5/29425. ISSN 1558-6898.
  15. ^ Wilding, R; Neves, BB; Waycott, J; Miller, E; Porter, T; Johnston, J; James, W; Brajanovski, S; Wilson, J; Baker, S; Caldwell, G (2024). "Introducing virtual reality to older adults: A qualitative analysis of a co-design innovation with care staff". Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics. 125: 105505. doi:10.1016/j.archger.2024.105505. PMID 38851090.
  16. ^ Neves, BB; Peterson, A; Vered, M; Carter, A (2023). "What Can Artificial Intelligence in Care Homes Tell Us about Technology, Aging, and Ageism?". XX ISA World Congress of Sociology. Retrieved 22 May 2025.
  17. ^ Neves, BB; Petersen, A; Vered, M; Carter, A; Omori, M (2023). "Artificial Intelligence in Long-Term Care: Technological Promise, Aging Anxieties, and Sociotechnical Ageism". Journal of Applied Gerontology. 42 (6): 1274–1282. doi:10.1177/07334648231157370. ISSN 0733-4648. PMC 10201070. PMID 36799089.
  18. ^ "Older Australians join the fight against loneliness and social isolation". Monash University. 2024-02-08. Retrieved 2025-05-29.
  19. ^ Mead, Geoffrey; Neves, Barbara Barbosa (2018), Barbosa Neves, Barbara; Casimiro, Cláudia (eds.), "Recursive approaches to technology adoption, families, and the life course: actor network theory and strong structuration theory", Connecting Families? Information & Communication Technologies, Generations, and the Life Course Perspective, Policy Press, pp. 41–58, doi:10.51952/9781447339953.ch003, ISBN 978-1-4473-3995-3, retrieved 2025-05-29
  20. ^ Neves, Barbara Barbosa; Mead, Geoffrey (2021). "Digital Technology and Older People: Towards a Sociological Approach to Technology Adoption in Later Life". Sociology. 55 (5): 888–905. doi:10.1177/0038038520975587. hdl:10400.5/28274. ISSN 0038-0385.
  21. ^ Neves, BB; Amaro, F (2014). "Older Adults, Social Capital, and the Internet: The Matthew Effect?". XVIII ISA World Congress of Sociology. Retrieved 20 May 2025.
  22. ^ Neves, Barbara Barbosa; Omori, Maho; Petersen, Alan; Vered, Mor; Carter, Adrian (2024). "Navigating artificial intelligence in care homes: Competing stakeholder views of trust and logics of care". Social Science & Medicine. 358: 117187. doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2024.117187. PMID 39173291.
  23. ^ Neves, BB; Sanders, A; Warren, N; Ko, P-C (2024). "Loneliness in Later Life as Existential Inequality". Sociology. 58 (3): 659–681. doi:10.1177/00380385231208649. ISSN 0038-0385.
  24. ^ Neves, Barbara Barbosa; Petersen, Alan (2025). "The social stigma of loneliness: A sociological approach to understanding the experiences of older people". The Sociological Review. 73 (2): 362–383. doi:10.1177/00380261231212100. ISSN 0038-0261.
  25. ^ Neves, BB; Wilson, J; Sanders, A; Kokanović, R; Burns, K (2023). ""Live Gerontology": Understanding and Representing Aging, Loneliness, and Long-Term Care Through Science and Art". The Gerontologist. 63 (10): 1581–1590. doi:10.1093/geront/gnad080. ISSN 0016-9013. PMC 10724046. PMID 37354206.
  26. ^ Neves, BB; Wilson, J; Sanders, A; Kokanović, R (2023). "Using crystallization to understand loneliness in later life: integrating social science and creative narratives in sensitive qualitative research". Qualitative Research. 23 (1): 38–54. doi:10.1177/14687941211005943. ISSN 1468-7941.
  27. ^ The University of Melbourne (2022-07-31). "Episode Eight: Narrative research meets creative writing with Barbara Barbosa Neves and Josephine Wilson | Narrative Network". Retrieved 2025-05-29.
  28. ^ Neves, Barbara Barbosa; Petersen, Alan; Vered, Mor; Carter, Adrian; Omori, Maho (2023). "Artificial Intelligence in Long-Term Care: Technological Promise, Aging Anxieties, and Sociotechnical Ageism". Journal of Applied Gerontology. 42 (6): 1274–1282. doi:10.1177/07334648231157370. ISSN 0733-4648. PMC 10201070. PMID 36799089.
  29. ^ Neves, BB; Amaro, FauFsto (2012). "Too Old For Technology? How The Elderly Of Lisbon Use And Perceive ICT". The Journal of Community Informatics. 8 (1). doi:10.15353/joci.v8i1.3061. ISSN 1712-4441.
  30. ^ Neves, BB; Franz, RL; Munteanu, C; Baecker, R; Ngo, M (2015). ""My Hand Doesn't Listen to Me!": Adoption and Evaluation of a Communication Technology for the 'Oldest Old'". Proceedings of the 33rd Annual ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. ACM. pp. 1593–1602. doi:10.1145/2702123.2702430. ISBN 978-1-4503-3145-6.
  31. ^ AGE-WELL News. "A new technology opens up a new world". AgeWell: Canada's technology and aging network. Retrieved 14 May 2025.
  32. ^ Overton (2025). "Documents: Barbara Barbosa Neves". Overton. Retrieved 2025-05-29.
  33. ^ Memorial University (2023). "George Story Distinguished Lecture Series | 2023 Guest Lecturer: Dr. Barbara Barbosa Neves". Memorial University of Newfoundland. Retrieved 22 May 2025.
  34. ^ "Jacques Leclercq Chair in Digital Technology & Society at the University of Louvain (UCLouvain), Belgium". Monash University. Retrieved 2025-05-29.
  35. ^ The ABC TOP 5 HASS researchers of 2019 (2020-04-30). "During coronavirus, we need social sciences and humanities more than ever. This is why". ABC News. Retrieved 2025-05-29.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  36. ^ a b Neves, Barbara Barbosa (2025). "Curriculum Vitae: Barbara Barbosa Neves". The University of Sydney. Retrieved 2025-05-29.
  37. ^ The Australian Sociology Association (2024). "TASA 2024: In-Person Workshops". tasa.org.au. Retrieved 2025-06-02.
  38. ^ International Sociological Association (2022). "Newsletter of the Committee on Family Research" (PDF). CFR Gazette | Volume 48, Issue 1. Retrieved 3 June 2025.
  39. ^ "Barbara Barbosa Neves". The Conversation. 2019-11-03. Retrieved 2025-06-02.
  40. ^ a b "Barbara Barbosa Neves, PhD, FRSA, FHEA". Google Scholar. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
  41. ^ Sociology. "Editorial Board: Sociology". Sage Journals. Retrieved 2025-06-02.
  42. ^ International Sociological Association (2024). "WG10 Digital Sociology". ISA. Archived from the original on 2024-12-11. Retrieved 2025-06-02.
  43. ^ ORCiD (2025). "Barbara Barbosa Neves". Retrieved 2025-06-02.
  44. ^ ABC Radio National (2022-02-23). "Living a healthy fulfilling life in older age". ABC listen: Big Ideas.
  45. ^ Dateline (2021-04-06). "Calls for more culturally appropriate aged care in Australia". SBS News.
  46. ^ De Souza, Ruth; Ahmed, Safdar (2021-02-11). "'I am a people person. I want my family to visit': stories of older Australian migrants during Covid". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077.
  47. ^ Topsfield, Jewel (2021-05-09). "'No more bingo!' How creative writing is telling the true story of loneliness in old age". The Age. Retrieved 2025-06-02.
  48. ^ Topsfield, Jewel (2020-08-03). "What Victoria can learn from New Zealand's lockdown". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  49. ^ Hirsh, Jesse (26 Dec 2014). "How Skype and email could help seniors avoid loneliness – and an early death". CBC News.
  50. ^ Lemos, António (31 May 2015). "Entrevista com Barbara Barbosa Neves, socióloga e investigadora do laboratório Technologies for Aging Gracefully, da Universidade de Toronto". Mar Revolto.
  51. ^ Rádio UPF (2014-08-28). UPFTV - Inclusão Social e Digital. Retrieved 2025-06-02 – via YouTube.
  52. ^ Neves, BB; Sanders, A; Cabrera, DC; Warren, N (2021-09-07). "'I tell everyone I love being on my own, but I hate it': what older Australians want you to know about loneliness". The Conversation.
  53. ^ Neves, Barbara Barbosa; Waycott, Jenny; Coghlan, Simon (2019-11-06). "Abusing a robot won't hurt it, but it could make you a crueller person". The Conversation.
  54. ^ Neves, BB (2019-11-18). "I spent five years in nursing homes. This is what I learnt about loneliness". ABC News.
  55. ^ Monash University (4 August 2021). "SBS, "What Does Australia Really Think About Old People?"". Research.
  56. ^ God Forbid (2021-06-26). "Confronting age prejudice". ABC Listen: ABC Radio National.
  57. ^ Campbell, Eleanor (8 July 2021). "Researchers collaborate with award-winning author to tell the story of chronic loneliness in aged care". Aged Care Insite.
  58. ^ Future Tense (2019-11-23). "Digital Technology and the lonely". ABC Listen: ABC Radio National. Retrieved 2025-06-02.
  59. ^ Narrative Now (2022-07-31). "Episode Eight: Narrative research meets creative writing with Barbara Barbosa Neves and Josephine Wilson". Narrative Network.
  60. ^ Sunday Morning (2023-10-22). "Dr Barbara Barbosa Neves: Recording loneliness in Aged Care". Radio New Zealand.
  61. ^ News In Depth (17 February 2025). "Can a robot called Abi fill a need in aged care?". SBS News.
  62. ^ Friends for Good (2022). "The Australian Loneliness Dialogue 2022". Retrieved 2025-06-03.
  63. ^ Neves, Barbara Barbosa (2014-09-04). "Digital Exclusion & Social Inequality – Invited keynote in Brazil". Mushin.
  64. ^ Massachusetts Institute of Technology (2023). "Designing and evaluating emerging technologies to address loneliness in later life: promises and pitfalls" (PDF). e-Planning, Urban Science and Digital Transition.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.