Docent, Doctor of Arts Ashley Colley has been appointed as Professor of Creative Technology at the Faculty of Art and Design as of the beginning of December.

The professorship in creative technology sits at the intersection of design and technology. It highlights how creative fields can guide the development of user driven, aesthetic, and meaningful technologies and applications.

Professor Colley’s research focuses on creative technologies and the design of interactive systems that combine sensing, emerging technologies, and user-centered design.

“I work with areas such as AI-driven user interfaces, bio-sensing, wearable and physical systems, robotics, and adaptive technologies that respond to people and context. This work applies across many areas, from health and wellbeing to smart environments and services,” tells Professor Colley.

As a part of his professorship, Colley is also developing the MAGICS research infrastructure at the University of Lapland. MAGICS, a joint venture between six universities, is included in the Academy of Finland’s roadmap for Finnish research infrastructures (2025–2029). At the University of Lapland, MAGICS is developing a research infrastructure at the interface of design, art, and technology that utilises new technological solutions for virtual reality, virtual media productions, and digital prototyping in service and product design.

Professor Colley notes that significant research infrastructure contributes to strengthening the University of Lapland’s position in international research.

“International collaboration is a core of my research approach – this ensures our research is at high international level. In practice, it is reflected, for example, in co-authoring research articles, joint applications for research funding, and taking responsibilities in the international research community,” Professor Colley says.

Ashley Colley’s background spans both industry and academia. He worked at Nokia for almost 20 years in a range of roles including leading the user interface design of Nokia’s touchscreen platform, which was shipped in more than 50 million devices. Since that, Colley co-founded Oura, the smart ring company that became a notable success story for the Finnish wellness industry.

Before joining the University of Lapland, Colley worked at the Center for Internet Excellence at the University of Oulu. He has been at the University of Lapland since 2015 and held the title of Docent since 2019.

Colley received his Doctor of Arts from the University of Lapland in 2017. In his dissertation, he examined the use of touchscreen technologies and their impact on how people interact with systems. Prior to this, Colley graduated as a Master of Science in Information Processing Science from the University of Oulu, and as a Bachelor of Science in Physics from the University of Birmingham, UK.

Professor Ashley Colley holds VR glasses in his hand at the University of Lapland's XR laboratory.
Ashley Colley, Professor of Creative Technology. Photo: Ville Rinne.
Ashley Colley
Further information:

Professor Ashley Colley
ashley.colley (at) ulapland.fi
Tel. +358 40 484 4338
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7750-2058