Lucy Suchman attended the University of California at Berkeley and received her Bachelor of Arts in 1972, her Master of Arts in 1977, and her Doctorate in Social and Cultural Anthropology in 1984.
Suchman joined Xerox Corporation's Palo Alto Research Center in 1979, where she ultimately held the positions of Principal Scientist and Manager of the Work Practice and Technology Area. Her research centers on the relationship between the culture of a workplace and the way the culture effects the design of new technology. Her work has focused on the analysis of constructions of human action and communication that underlie the design of interactive computer systems.
Suchman continues research centered on descriptions of the culture of sites of technology production and use, and contributing to emerging reconceptualizations of social/material relations based in anthropology, feminist theory, and science and technology studies.
Suchman is a member of the American Anthropological Association, Society for Social Studies of Science, and Association for Computing Machinery, American Academy of Management, and Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility. She has received the Xerox Corporate Research Group Excellence in Science and Technology Award.
Information as of April 2002