“My father encouraged me to go into engineering although I enjoyed physics more, probably because at school I didn’t really know what “engineering” was. I studied physics and maths at Glasgow University. I found a wonderful place to work in IT on the outskirts of Edinburgh in Scotland. I moved from a large computer manufacturer to a couple of start-ups. I enjoyed coding but became really interested in the ideas behind “hypertext” (now familiar as links in web pages). I then moved over to academia to do research on human-computer interaction – a field that lies between the technology of computers and the psychology of users. Later in my career, I had the opportunity of talking to a coach. She let me see the world in a very different way. It helped me operate more strategically – which may not sound exciting, but it forces you to reflect on who you are, what you want, and how to cooperate with the people around you. I love understanding new things, I love changing things for the better. Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics are too important to be left to only men. They are really inspirational to work in too – you can see your work makes a difference.”

Lynda Hardman ging na haar studie Wiskunde en Natuurkunde aan de slag als informaticus in het bedrijfsleven. Toen ze in aanraking kwam met het begrip hypertext stapte ze over naar de academische wereld om onderzoek te doen. Begin 1992 begon Lynda als ICT-onderzoeker voor het Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica (CWI) waar ze nu werkt als Manager Onderzoek & Strategie.
Lynda is professor Multimedia Discourse Interaction aan de Universiteit Utrecht. Haar onderzoek focust zich op de interactie tussen mensen en computer. Naast onderzoeker bekleedt Lynda ook een aantal directiefuncties. Zo is ze director van Amsterdam Data Science, lid van het COST Scientific Committee en lid van de SURF Technical Council (WTR).