Dr. Jessica Turner

Senior Lecturer in Software Engineering

Education

PhD in Computer Science

University of Waikato

2015 - 2019

Bachelor of Computing and Mathematical Sciences (Honours)

University of Waikato

2011 - 2014

Postgraduate Certificate in Tertiary Teaching & Learning

University of Waikato

Research Areas

Software Engineering
Formal Methods
Software Testing, Verification & Validation
Internet of Things
Human-Computer Interaction
Social Robotics

Bio

I am a Senior Lecturer, Assistant Dean and Programme Lead for Au Reikura - School of Computing & Mathematical Sciences based at the University of Waikato’s Tauranga campus. My research is in the area of engineering interactive systems and human-centred computing. Recent projects involve work with the internet of things, social robotics and medical devices.

Please feel free to get in touch if you have Work-Integrated Learning opportunities for current Computer Science and Software Engineering students in the Bay of Plenty area.

Current Roles

Senior Lecturer in Software Engineering

Au Reikura School of Computing & Mathematical Sciences, University of Waikato

Assistant Dean Tauranga

Au Reikura School of Computing & Mathematical Sciences, University of Waikato

Recent Publications

“It Almost Wanted to Hurt Someone”: The Impact of Intentional Creepiness on User Perceptions

Turner, J., Vanderschantz, N., König, J., & Siddika, R.

Companion Proceedings of the 21st ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction

Empowering Education: Student Perceptions and Attitudes to the Role of Social Robots in Learning Contexts

Turner, J., Vanderschantz, N., Bowen, J., König, J., & Carino, H.

Companion Proceedings of the 21st ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction

Co-designing Smart Cities: a Case Study in the New Zealand Context

Turner, J., Jones, B., Everitt, A. & König, J.

37th Australian Conference on Human-Computer Interaction (HCI)

Service

YIA Mentor, 2025 - Present

Young Innovator Awards

Late Breaking Work Co-chair

EICS 2025

Social Media Co-chair

VRST 2024

Tech in Diabetes Care: Opportunities & Challenges Workshop co-organiser

Cardiff University

The 2nd SI^NZ Workshop of Software Engineering Lead Organiser

Software Innovation NZ

Business Beyond Usual Panelist

DayBreak 2024

Student Volunteer Chair

OzCHI 2023

PC4G Lead Tauranga

Programming Contest for Girls

ENGClusion Team Member, 2023 - Present

ENGClusion

YIA Pre-Judging Panel, 2023 - 2024

Young Innovator Awards

ACM Membership, 2023 - Present

Association for Computing Machinery

Women in Tech Lead, 2022 - Present

Women in Tech Tauranga

CSNeT Lead, 2021 - Present

Computer Science NeTwork

Software Innovation NZ Membership, 2020 - Present

Software Innovation NZ

Postgraduate Student Supervision

Are you interested in Postgraduate studies in Software Engineering or Computer Science at the University of Waikato’s Tauranga Campus? Please feel to reach out via email if our research interests align.

Waiari Vosse-Ramsbottom

2026 - Present

Enrolled (MSc (R))

Zane Hamilton

2025 - Present

Exploring Novel Technological Approaches for Monitoring and Enhancing Health and Sports Performance (PhD)

Ben Jones

2025 - Present

Can You Trust What a Robot Says? (MSc (R))

Matthew Adlam

2025 - Present

Measuring the Perceived Creepiness of Social Robots (MSc (R))

Jani Chathurangani

2024 - 2025

The Use of Microscopic Traffic Simulation Models for the Analysis of Vehicle Emissions (ME)

Zane Hamilton

2023 - 2024

Automation of the Landing Error Scoring System using Inertial Measurement Units (MSc (R))

Fajer Alblooshy

2023 - 2024

Automated Capture/Replay Test Generation for Android using Espresso (ME)

Hongming Zhang

2023 - Present

A Model-Driven Methodology for IoT Application Development (PhD)

Bowen Liu

2020 - 2025

Integrating Behavioural And Formal Specifications (PhD)

Projects

Safety and Usability of Artificial Pancreas Systems - This research aims to bring together multidisciplinary expertise to address challenges in developing safe, reliable, and user-friendly Artificial Pancreas systems that enhance health outcomes and ease diabetes management.

Exploring User Perceptions and Engagement with Social Robots - Leveraging human-robot interaction, this research examines how social robots shape user perceptions, boost engagement, and create impactful experiences across diverse settings.

Teaching

In addition to teaching into Computing courses at the Tauranga Campus, I regularly supervise students in placements, directed studies, honours and summer research scholarships. Frequently Taught courses are listed below.

COMPX335 Emerging Technologies

COMPX535 Advanced Emerging Technologies

COMPX171 Introduction to Digital Professional Skills

Guest lecturing opportunities available.

COMPX271 Introduction to Software Development Methodologies

Guest lecturing opportunities available.