FELS Inaugural Lecture with Professor Maggie Donovan-Hall Event

Time:

3:30pm

Date:

2025-11-26 15:30:00

Venue:

University of Southampton, Centenary Building (100), University Road, Southampton, SO17 1BJ

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Event details

This is our first Faculty of Environmental and Life Sciences Inaugural Lecture in our 2025-26 series that celebrates the careers of our newly appointed Professors. At our first event on Wednesday 26th November 2025, Professor Maggie Donovan-Hall from the School of Health Sciences and Professor Denis Drieghe from the School of Psychology will present their research.

Watch the lecture video

Watch all the lecture videos from the 2025-26 series here.

Professor Maggie Donovan-Hall

Bridging Worlds: Multidisciplinary Pathways to User-Led Design in Assistive Technology

Health technologies, such as prosthetic limbs, are becoming increasingly advanced and sophisticated. Yet real progress depends on understanding how these devices fit into people’s everyday lives, their functional use, social meaning, and psychological impact. By involving users, their families, and the professionals who support them, technologies can be designed that are not only innovative but also meaningful, sustainable, and truly fit for purpose.

In her inaugural lecture, Maggie will explore her role as a psychologist working collaboratively within interdisciplinary teams to take a person-centred approach to health technology and service development. She will discuss how partnerships and embedding users’ voices throughout all stages of research and design can enhance the creation of effective, user-focused technologies.

Maggie will also reflect on her career journey, sharing key influences, collaborations, and lessons learned along the way. She will highlight her passion for integrating research-led education and collaborative practice to drive meaningful change and build capacity within the prosthetics and orthotics (P and O) sector.

Biography

Maggie is a Professor of Psychology of Prosthetics and Orthotics in the School of Health Sciences at the University of Southampton. She has a background in Psychology and completed a master’s degree in health psychology before undertaking a part-time mixed-methods PhD in the School of Psychology, while also working as a researcher on several projects.

Maggie joined the School of Health Sciences as a lecturer in 2004, focusing her research on the psychosocial aspects of assistive technology, particularly prosthetic and orthotic (P and O) devices. She co-founded the cross-faculty People Powered Prosthetics Research Group, which aims to improve the lives of individuals living with limb loss in both high- and low-resource settings. She also co-leads the Active Living Research Group, which develops innovative technologies and clinical practices that promote active living and healthy ageing.