Dr Dirk van der Linden

Assistant Professor

School: Computer Science

Dirk is a Senior Lecturer with the Department of Computer and Information Sciences at Northumbria University. His research intersects the human side of requirements engineering, cyberpsychology, and animal-computer interaction, focusing on understanding how people build and use technology in unexpected ways, and how this impacts the lives and livelihoods of its users (aka social implications of technology).

He is co-founder of the Tech4Animals Lab (www.tech4animals.org), an international multi-disciplinary research team developing and studying technology for animal science, welfare, well-being and the human-animal relationship. He is a steering member of the International Conference on Animal-Computer Interaction, co-chaired the 2019 edition of the conference in Haifa, serves as general chair for the 2022 edition right here in Newcastle upon Tyne, and served on the organization committee of the International Summer School on Animal-Centered Computing.

Dirk has published over 70 peer-reviewed works including conference proceedings, journal articles, and book chapters, frequently collaborating with international and industrial partners. His work has been covered in press in multiple languages, informed policy briefings distributed among governmental and public bodies on e.g., pet data protection, and led to expert commentary in popular media.

But most importantly: he is always excited at the prospect of working with new students who share (some) research interests, and more than happy to introduce them to his network of collaborators. So if some of the above interests you, and you want to work on projects or your thesis, get in touch!

Email Dirk

Research Themes and Scholarly Interests

My main research interest is understanding how people build and use technology in unexpected ways, and how this impacts the lives and livelihoods of its users. I focus in particular on "interspecies information systems"—the emergent systems that arise when technology for animals informs humans of how to act towards animals, whether that be in the context of farming, working animals like guide dogs, companion animals like pets, or even wildlife.

Key Publications

Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
Comparing the performance of deep learning video-based models and trained veterinarians in cattle pain assessment, Feighelstein, M., Tomacheuski, R., Elias, G., Shashoua, N., van der Linden, D., Luna, S., Zamansky, A. 18 Mar 2026, In: Scientific Reports
Live, laugh, love urban wildlife, van der Linden, D. 23 Jan 2026, Multispecies Information Science, London, Routledge
Mog on the Tyne: Cat Location Information and Human-Cat Relationships in North East England, Penrhyn-Jones, J., van der Linden, D. 21 Jan 2026, In: Society and Animals
SHIC-XE: Viewpoint-Invariant Explainability via Dense 2D-3D Correspondences: an Application to Equine Pain Recognition, Feighelstein, M., Bibi, O., Rozenbaum, O., Agassi de Sales, N., Camargo Ferraz, G., Shimshoni, I., van der Linden, D., Dalla Costa, E., Bremhorst, A., Spadavecchia, C., Zamansky, A. 10 Jul 2026, In: International Journal of Computer Vision
The Question of Art for Dogs, Ilyashenko, D., van der Linden, D., Zamansky, A. 30 Aug 2026, ACI'26: Proceedings of the Thirteenth International Conference on Animal-Computer Interaction, ACM
Comparison between AI and human expert performance in acute pain assessment in sheep, Feighelstein, M., Luna, S., Silva, N., Trindade, P., Shimshoni, I., van der Linden, D., Zamansky, A. 3 Jan 2025, In: Scientific Reports
Non-invasive canine electroencephalography (EEG): a systematic review, Kulgod, A., van der Linden, D., Franca, L., Jackson, M., Zamansky, A. 18 Feb 2025, In: BMC Veterinary Research
Using Community Notes to Enact Attitudinal Change towards Urban Wildlife, Gowland, S., Davidson, B., van der Linden, D. 30 Nov 2025, ACI '25: Proceedings of the International Conference on Animal-Computer Interaction, New York, USA, ACM
Weeds or Careful Cultivars? On the Growth of Social Media in Urban Wildlife Research and Relations, Gowland, S., van der Linden, D. 30 Nov 2025, ACI'25: Proceedings of the International Conference on Animal-Computer Interaction, Bloomington, USA, ACM
Automation in canine science: enhancing human capabilities and overcoming adoption barriers, Farhat, N., van der Linden, D., Zamansky, A., Assif, T. 14 Jun 2024, In: Frontiers in Veterinary Science

Professional Activity

Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
Organising a conference, workshop, ...: 9th International Conference on Animal-Computer Interaction 2022
Oral presentation: Interspecies information systems—what can you do? 2021
Organising a conference, workshop, ...: The Second International Summer School on Animal-Centered Computing 2021
Organising a conference, workshop, ...: The First International Summer School on Animal-Centered Computing 2020
Organising a conference, workshop, ...: 6th International Conference on Animal-Computer Interaction: Common Denominator, ACI 2019 2019
Organising a conference, workshop, ...: 1st International Workshop on Facilitating Inclusive Requirements Engineering (FIRE 2018) 2018