About
I am a Senior Lecturer in Digital Health in the School of Computing and Information Systems (CIS) at the University of Melbourne. With undergraduate backgrounds in both computer science and philosophy, in general my research interests have fallen between the two. My PhD thesis was in the areas of artificial intelligence and the philosophy of information and computation.
My work now focuses on the application of digital technology, ubiquitous computing and artificial intelligence to mental health and behavioural science more generally, and I lead project activity in the CIS computing and mental health hub. Given my background in philosophy and computer science, I am also interested in exploring the philosophical and ethical dimensions of AI and digital (mental health) technologies.
The Latest
- January 11, 2025 - New year greetings, just did some work on this website.
- December 1, 2024 - Now on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/sjdalf.bsky.social
- October 2, 2023 - Seeking clinical psychologists/therapists to test out a new chatbot.
- February 19, 2023 - I have just revamped my School's digital health web section, including the addition of a new digital mental health section.
Presentations
- AI and the Future of Mental Health, Melbourne Connect Innovation Week, September 2024.
- Mental health digital phenotyping research within CIS, International Centre for Translational Digital Health (ICTDH) Hub-Led Seminar Series, July 2023.
- Is AI the Future of Mental Health Care?, University of Melbourne Advancement Event, May 2023.
Media Articles
- Love & AI: the artificial intimacy of being understood. (2024)
- Should chatbot psychologists be part of the health system? (2024)
- How AI could transform the future of the psychology profession. (2023)
- Should smartphone data be harnessed to track mental health? (January 2021)
- Online social networking, digital mental health and COVID-19 - what helps and what hinders? (March 2020)
- Could your smartphone become your therapist? (August 2019)
- Digital Phenotyping: Smartphones as a Window into the Mind (May 2019)
- From Social Media to Social Support (March 2019)
- Smartphone technology taps into mental health of young people (July 2018)
- 4 Ways Tech can help your Mental Health (December 2017)
- Using Artificial Intelligence for Mental Health (July 2017)
Team Members
PhD Students
- Tianyi Zhang - Digital phenotyping (personal sensing) for mental health and wellbeing
- Daniel Cabrera-Lozoya - NLP for quality improvements in online mental health therapy services
- Fangziyun Tong - Digital therapeutic alliance
- Andres Camargo – Digital phenotyping depression
- Songyan Teng - Enabling Proactive Communication Between Smartphones and Humans
Research Assistants
Contact Me
