Science at the Local - October 2026
Description
Sunday 25th October at 2pm
Fighting Isolation with Technology
Jennifer Sharp, Charles Sturt University
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Jennifer is a researcher at Charles Sturt University whose work looks at how technology can support mental wellbeing for people in isolated and confined environments, from astronauts on long space missions to others living under similar conditions.
She is the lead author of a 2025 scoping review in Acta Astronautica, co-authored with colleagues from psychology, education, and computing, which examined virtual reality (VR) and artificial intelligence (AI) as psychological countermeasures. The review screened more than 3,000 records and found that VR can help with relaxation, mood, stress, and anxiety. It also found that AI-based approaches are still largely untested, which points to an important direction for future research. Her work was recognised with a Best Student Presentation Award at the 2025 FoBJBS HDR and Honours Conference.
In her talk, Fighting Isolation with Technology, Jennifer explores how immersive and intelligent tools might help people stay connected, resilient, and well when they are far from the usual sources of support.
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