Dr Sarah Kate Merry (she/her) is a Research Fellow in the Centre for Postdigital Cultures, and is part of the Postdigital Intimacies research cluster.

Sarah is a social scientist with a background in information studies, whose research focuses on the impact of the internet on social interactions, particularly among marginalised communities. Her current work includes investigating the benefits of ‘lurking’ (non-participatory presence) in online peer support groups for people with adult diagnoses of ADHD, and the impact of social media on the experiences of newly-diagnosed neurodistinct people.

Sarah’s broader research interests including friendship creation and maintenance online, behaviour in fan communities, and online safety for vulnerable adults. In the recent project Postdigital Intimacies for Online Safety: Building policy recommendations through co-production partner workshops, undertaken with colleagues in Postdigital Intimacies, she focused on the gaps in current legislation regarding online harms for vulnerable adults, such as those with mental health disorders and/or who are neurodistinct.

From 2018-2022, Sarah project-managed the Erasmus+ project PACES (Progression of Accessibility Centres in higher Education for Students with disabilities in North Africa), which sought to improve access, learning conditions, and employment opportunities for disabled students in Egypt and Morocco. More recently, she was PI for the Erasmus+ project STEAM Stars – A European Framework of Competences in Teaching STEAM Education for Gifted Students.