# Ruth Aylett

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**Ruth S. Aylett** (born 1951)[1] is a British author, computer scientist, professor, poet[2][3] and political activist. She is a professor of computer science at [Heriot-Watt University](/source/Heriot-Watt_University) in [Edinburgh](/source/Edinburgh), where she specialises in [affective computing](/source/Affective_computing), [social computing](/source/Social_computing), [software agents](/source/Software_agent), and [human–robot interaction](/source/Human%E2%80%93robot_interaction).[4]

## Early life

Aylett was born in [London](/source/London).[5]

## Research

Aylett's research involves [affective computing](/source/Affective_computing), [social computing](/source/Social_computing), [software agents](/source/Software_agent), and [human–robot interaction](/source/Human%E2%80%93robot_interaction). She is the leader of Socially Competent Robots (SoCoRo), a project of the [Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council](/source/Engineering_and_Physical_Sciences_Research_Council) that studies whether robots can assist [autistic](/source/Autism) people in learning to recognize facial expressions and other [social cues](/source/Social_cue).[6]

She has also studied the use of "emotionally literate" robots for tutoring schoolchildren,[7] developed interactive role-playing software intended to combat bullying,[8] and performed with a robot poet named Sarah the Poetic Robot as part of the Edinburgh [Free Fringe](/source/Free_Fringe).[3][9]

## Education and career

Aylett earned a degree in [mathematical economics](/source/Mathematical_economics) at the [London School of Economics](/source/London_School_of_Economics), and began her career in computing by working in [technical support](/source/Technical_support) at [International Computers Limited](/source/International_Computers_Limited) for three years, before moving to the [University of Sheffield](/source/University_of_Sheffield) to work in [computing](/source/Computing) and [robotics](/source/Robotics). She became a lecturer at [Sheffield Hallam University](/source/Sheffield_Hallam_University) for five years, and then moved to the [University of Edinburgh](/source/University_of_Edinburgh) in 1989, as part of the Artificial Intelligence Applications Institute there. She moved again to the [University of Salford](/source/University_of_Salford) in 1992, first as part of the IT Institute there and later in the Centre for Virtual Environments. There, she became Professor of Intelligent Virtual Environments in 2000. In 2004, she moved to her present position at Heriot-Watt University.[4]

## Publications

Aylett's book *Robots: Bringing Intelligent Machines to Life?* (2002) is a historical exploration on robots, on the history of robotics, and on research problems confronting roboticists. Aimed at high-school age students, it consists of a sequence of two-page illustrated spreads on each of its topics.[10]

She is the coauthor, with Judy Robertson, Lisa Gjedde, Rose Luckin and Paul Brna, of the self-published book *Inside Stories: A Narrative Journey* (2008), on the use of story-telling in education and the use of technology to assist in storytelling.[11]

Aylett is also the coauthor of the poetry pamphlet *Handfast: Poetry Duets* with Beth McDonough (Mothers Milk, 2016). It has a challenge-response format, in which a poem by one of the authors inspires a poem by the other author exploring the same theme.[3][12]

Aylett co-authored *Inside DAMMA: the Department of Applied Meta-Magical Anthropology* with Morag Burgon-Lyon, Greg Michaelson and Judy Robertson (Read Fiction, 2023). This satire on contemporary University life was written as part of a project on facilitating academic research cooperation. [13]

*Equinox* (Stairwell, 2023) was also co-authored with Greg Michaelson. This Science Fiction/Fantasy, written during lockdown, is about how an attempt to extract free energy from beneath Rannoch Moor breaks the multi-verse and angers the witches from Macbeth. [14]

## Personal life

She is the mother of writer and activist [Owen Jones](/source/Owen_Jones).[15] She met her husband, union organiser Robert Jones, through their membership in the [Militant tendency](/source/Militant_tendency), a [Trotskyist](/source/Trotskyist) group within the [Labour Party](/source/Labour_Party_(UK)).[16] He developed [prostate cancer](/source/Prostate_cancer),[17] and died in 2018.[15]

As a political activist, Aylett has advocated for the Labour Party,[18] for improved labour security for university staff,[19] and for permanent residency for [European Union](/source/European_Union) citizens already in the UK at the time of [Brexit](/source/Brexit).[20] She has been advocating for [academic freedom](/source/Academic_freedom) for faculty and students in the face of the '[Counter-terrorism and security bill](/source/Counter-Terrorism_and_Security_Act_2015)' legislation (2015) by signing a letter claiming the bill ran counter to universities' mission to foster free speech as well as being 'unenforceable' and 'unlawful'.[21] In addition to her support for [transgender rights](/source/Transgender_rights),[22] she has served as one of the leaders of the Labour Party in [Edinburgh Southern](/source/Edinburgh_Southern_(Scottish_Parliament_constituency)).[20]

## References

1. [Library of Congress catalog entry](https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n2001012795.html), accessed 15 November 2020

1. ["Poets' Profiles: Ruth Aylett"](http://poetsrepublic.org/poet-profiles-3/). Retrieved 15 November 2020.

1. ["Wombwell Rainbow Interviews: Ruth Aylett"](https://thewombwellrainbow.com/2018/09/25/wombwell-rainbow-interviews-ruth-aylett/). *The Wombwell Rainbow*. 25 September 2018.

1. Aylett, Ruth. ["Biographical information"](https://www.macs.hw.ac.uk/~ruth/bio.html). Heriot-Watt University. Retrieved 15 November 2020.

1. [Personal stuff](https://www.macs.hw.ac.uk/~ruth/personal.html) by Aylett, accessed 15 November 2020

1. ["Art of Possible: Rise of the Robots"](https://www.edinburgh-robotics.org/events/art-possible-rise-robots). Edinburgh Centre for Robotics. 25 January 2018. Retrieved 15 November 2020.

1. Loxton, Rachel (20 September 2015). ["Reading, writing, arithmetic ... and robots: the emotionally literate teaching machines being pioneered in Scotland"](https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/13771826.reading-writing-arithmetic-and-robots-the-emotionally-literate-teaching-machines-being-pioneered-in-scotland/). *The Herald*

1. Miller, Ross (7 September 2006). ["Colleges band to make anti-bullying game"](https://www.engadget.com/2006-09-07-colleges-band-to-make-anti-bullying-game.html). *engadget*

1. ["Featured writer – Ruth Aylett"](https://federationofwritersscotland.com/2017/03/08/featured-writer-ruth-aylett/). The Federation of Writers (Scotland). 8 March 2017. Retrieved 15 November 2020.

1. Aylett, Ruth (2002): *Robots: Bringing Intelligent Machines to Life*. Barrons Educational Series; ISBN 0-7641-5541-5. Reviews: "Books". *Science News*. **162** (18): 287. 2 November 2002. [JSTOR 4014072](https://www.jstor.org/stable/4014072) McLeod-Smith, Penny (January 2004). "none". *The Science Teacher*. **71** (1): 80, 82. [JSTOR 24155183](https://www.jstor.org/stable/24155183)

1. ["Digi-Storytelling in Education"](http://tracscotland.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Blethers18_0.pdf). *Blethers*. **18**: 2. Scottish Storytelling Centre and Network. Spring 2009.

1. Lee, Emma (6 September 2016). ["Handfast: Poetry Duets by Ruth Aylett & Beth McDonough"](https://sabotagereviews.com/2016/09/06/handfast-poetry-duets-by-ruth-aylett-beth-mcdonough/). *Sabotage Reviews*

1. url = "[https://www.readfictiondirect.co.uk/product/11614804/inside-damma](https://www.readfictiondirect.co.uk/product/11614804/inside-damma)"

1. url = "[https://www.stairwellbooks.co.uk/product/equinox/](https://www.stairwellbooks.co.uk/product/equinox/)"

1. See the "[Acknowledgements](https://books.google.com/books?id=gwzQDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT318)" section of Jones, Owen (2020). *This Land: The Story of a Movement*. Penguin. ISBN 9780141994406.

1. Phelim Brady (8 February 2013). ["Interview: Owen Jones"](http://www.varsity.co.uk/news/5556). Varsity.co.uk. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20130928192233/http://www.varsity.co.uk/news/5556) 28 September 2013 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 26 September 2013.

1. Aitken, Vivienne (21 July 2015). ["Cancer patients miss out on vital drug due to shortage of nurses at Edinburgh hospital"](https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/health/cancer-patients-miss-out-vital-6106939). *Daily Record*

1. ["Election 2019: Why I'm voting Labour: Ruth Aylett, poet, professor, activist"](https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/why-im-voting-labour-ruth-aylett-poet-professor-activist). *[Morning Star](/source/Morning_Star_(British_newspaper))*. 3 December 2019.

1. ["We refuse to act as external examiners until universities deal with staffing issues"](https://www.theguardian.com/education/2020/jan/22/we-refuse-to-act-as-external-examiners-until-universities-deal-with-staffing-issues). *The Guardian*. 22 January 2020.

1. ["Labour activists urge Starmer to back 'right to stay' for EU citizens campaign"](https://labourlist.org/2020/09/labour-activists-urge-starmer-to-back-right-to-stay-for-eu-citizens-campaign/). *LabourList*. 8 September 2020.

1. ["Counter-terrorism and security bill is a threat to freedom of speech at universities"](https://www.theguardian.com/education/2015/feb/02/counter-terrorism-security-bill-threat-freedom-of-speech-universities). *The Guardian*. 2 February 2015.

1. ["They do not speak for us: Feminists hit back at trans-exclusionary activists in open letter"](https://www.thenational.scot/news/17472564.not-speak-us-feminists-hit-back-trans-exclusionary-activists-open-letter/). *The National*. 3 March 2019.

## External links

- [Home page](https://www.macs.hw.ac.uk/~ruth/)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Ruth Aylett](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruth_Aylett) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruth_Aylett?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.