Professor Leela Damodaran

Leela Damodaran is Professor Emerita of Digital Inclusion and Participation at Loughborough Business School. As an independent policy advisor specialising in the behavioural aspects of use of digital technologies; strategies for social and digital inclusion; planning of change and transition; citizen engagement and participation, she works in the public, business and academic sectors.

Leela has participated in and led a wide range of programmes and projects variously in research, consulting, policy and advisory roles. Her extensive portfolio of research over many years has received funding variously from UK and European research funding bodies, UK government departments (Ofcom, DHSS, DCMS, DTI & GO-Science etc); and business organisations (Shell Global Solutions, Pilkington Glass, P&O, British Telecom etc). 

Her current focus is on tackling digital exclusion and bridging the digital divide. Her activities are underpinned by extensive research. This includes the substantial body of knowledge generated by the major and unique pioneering collaborative research project (CRP) entitled ‘Sustaining IT use by older people to promote autonomy and independence’ (‘Sus-IT’). This project, led by Leela as Principal Investigator with Wendy Olphert as the inspiration for the project and Co-investigator, was part of the RCUK-funded flagship ‘New Dynamics of Ageing’ programme. The project investigated one of the most significant threats to digital inclusion in society - namely the risk of older and disabled ICT users becoming unable to sustain ICT usage in the face of a range of age-related factors. Sus-IT findings and follow-on work informs evidence reviews, formulation and implementation of policy, strategy, training and guidance material, and so on.

Leela’s current portfolio of work is characterised by engagement with policymakers and other stakeholders to inform policy, practice and design relating to digital exclusion/inclusion. While working at national level, Leela also maintains significant grass-roots engagement with community groups who work to support digitally-excluded/disadvantaged end-users (especially older people).

Current roles

• Member of EPSRC Digital Health Steering Board
• Member of NHS 'Digital Health Inequalities Steering Group'
• Member of Leicestershire Equalities Challenge Group 
• Founder member of 'Closing the Digital Divide' British Computer Society, specialist group
• Member and advisor of Long Eaton 50+ Forum and the Sus-IT Drop-In and Computer Club of the Long Eaton 50+Forum, Derbyshire
• Advisor to Ashbourne Pavilion Community Initiative

Previous roles

• Member of Ofcom Strategic Advisory Board (OSAB)
• Member of Digital Inclusion Stakeholder Group of the Government Digital Strategy team
• Member of Department for Work and Pensions Age Action Alliance Digital Inclusion Group
• In 2010 Leela was the first woman and social scientist to give the prestigious Mountbatten Memorial Lecture at the Institute of Engineering and Technology: 'Flying through Cyberspace: can we all have wings?' (This promoted awareness of human factors issues and of wider social aspects of technology use to an extensive international audience).

• Frameworks for achieving and sustaining digital participation for all
• Impact of digitalisation on resilience and vulnerability of older people
• Behavioural aspects and human use of digital technologies
• Planning of change and transition

Damodaran, L. (2021) 'Barriers and ‘What Works’ Solutions to Digital Participation for all'. Wavelength.

Damodaran, L., Burrows, H. (2017) 'Digital Skills Across the Lifetime – Existing Provisions and Future Challenges'. London Foresight, Government Office for Science.

Damodaran, L., Craig, M., Gilbertson, T., W. & Sandhu, J. (2015) 'Digital Inclusion – The Vision, the Challenges and the Way Forward'. International Journal on Advances in Internet Technology, 8 (3&4), pp78-92.

Damodaran, L., Olphert, C.W., Sandhu, J. (2014) 'Falling off the Bandwagon? Exploring the Challenges to Sustained Digital Engagement for Older People'. Gerontology 60 (2), pp. 163-173.

Olphert, C.W., Damodaran, L. (2013) 'Digital Disengagement and Older People: the Fourth Digital Divide?' Gerontology 59 (6), pp.564-570.