About
I am Associate Director of Research Information and Systems at the University of Southampton and the institutional lead for REF 2029. I lead a multidisciplinary team supporting research assessment, systems, intelligence, impact and communications, including sharing the University’s research through Re:action magazine.
I work closely with academic leaders and professional services colleagues to turn complex policy and data into clear advice and practical support. I particularly enjoy building trusted relationships, helping colleagues make informed decisions and developing efficient services that support their research ambitions.
Research
Research interests
- Reading
- Eye movements
- Web-environments
- Hyperlinks
- Non-linear text
Current research
My main research interest is to investigate how we read on the Web and the impact of hyperlinks. My recent work explores the impact of hyperlinks on reading behaviour and the impact of navigation and clicking on reading and comprehension.
My research is often interdisciplinary in nature and involves psychology and computer science, focusing on aspects of attention, information processing and human computer interaction. I have used eye movements as a methodology to understand how we process information on the Web, building upon years of eye movements and reading literature.
Publications
Teaching
I have previously taught on these undergraduate/MSc psychology modules:
- Research Methods and Data Analysis I
- Research Methods and Data Analysis II
- Statistical Programming in R
- Applied Research Methods (ARM): Planning & Designing Research
- Introduction to SPSS for postgraduates
I have run short courses on:
- Creating Eye-Tracking Experiment
- Analysing Eye-Tracking Data
I have also supervised a number of 3rd year project students who were interested in eye movements and reading.
External roles and responsibilities
Biography
Gemma Fitzsimmons is Associate Director - Research Information and Systems at the University of Southampton, where she is the institutional lead for REF 2029. She leads a multidisciplinary team covering research assessment, intelligence, systems, impact and research communications.
Gemma works closely with academic leaders and professional services colleagues to support research strategy, inform decisions and coordinate institutional assessment preparations. Her experience spans REF 2021 delivery, post-assessment evaluation and the development of research information systems and analytical tools.
She is particularly interested in making complex information useful, building trusted relationships and developing efficient services that help colleagues achieve their research ambitions.