This book provides researchers with a straightforward and accessible guide for carrying out research that will help them to combine good science with real-world impact. The format of this book is simple: concise chapters on key topics, examples and case studies, written in plain language that will guide researchers through the process of research-driven innovation. The book draws on the editors’ experience in leading the Age-Well Network of Excellence. The aim of Age-Well is to drive innovation in the area of technology and aging. Researchers often lack the knowledge and abilities to commercialize or mobilize the outcomes of their research. Moreover, there is a lack of training and education resources suitable for the wide range of disciplines and experience that are becoming more typical. The book emphasizes the practicalities of “how to” undertake the kinds of activities that researchers should be engaging in if they are serious about achieving impact. Overall, this book will guide researchers through the process of research-driven innovation.
Andrew Sixsmith, PhD, is the Director of the STAR Institute, and a Professor in the Gerontology Research Centre at Simon Fraser University, Canada. He is the Secretariat of the International Society for Gerontechnology (ISG), the world’s foremost organisation for researchers in technology and aging, and is a Scientific Director of AGE-WELL NCE. Since 2000, Dr. Sixsmith has developed research and teaching links with 26 universities worldwide, and has actively collaborated with over 30 major commercial and government organisations. His research interests include development of technologies for independent living, modeling well-being of seniors, long-term care and theory, and methods in gerontology.
Alex Mihailidis, PhD, is the Principal Investigator and a joint Scientific Director of AGE-WELL and Barbara G. Stymiest Research Chair in Rehabilitation Technology at Toronto Rehabilitation Institute – UHN/University of Toronto. He is an Associate Professor in the Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy and at the Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering at the University of Toronto (U of T) and holds a cross appointment in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Toronto. His research disciplines include biomedical and biochemical engineering, computer science, geriatrics and occupational therapy.
Judith Sixsmith, PhD, is Professor in the School of Nursing and Health Sciences at the University if Dundee, Scotland and a Visiting Professor of Public Policy at Simon Fraser University. She is an expert in qualitative methodologies and is experienced in working with marginalized groups using community-based participatory action research methods. Her research interests lie in the areas of public health and social care where she explores the ways in which people living in deprived communities experience processes of marginalisation within our social systems. Often working within collaborative, gendered,participatory and multi-disciplinary approaches, Dr. Sixsmith has directed several research projects on issues of healthy ageing, dementia, social capital, urban regeneration and social inclusion.
Mei Lan Fang, MPH, is a Research Fellow at the School of Nursing and Health Sciences, University of Dundee in Scotland. Her research focuses on three key areas: ageing in place, ageing and technology, and end of life care. Mei is also a visiting Research Associate at the Science of Technology for Aging Research (STAR) Institute, where she previously led a Vancouver Foundation funded community-based research project, Place-Making with Seniors: Towards Meaningful Affordable Housing. Mei is also completing her doctoral work at Heriot-Watt University, Scotland; investigating how individual experiences and histories shape place transitions and impact unique fluctuations in social isolation and connectedness in older adults.
