Dirk vom Lehn
Professor of Organisation and Practice
King’s Business School, King’s College London.
Research
I undertake ethnomethodological studies of interaction in museums and in eye examinations. The research informs the work of curators and exhibition designers as well as that of optometrists and those teaching and training optometrists.
Latest news
- New Article: “Simmel and Ethnomethodology: Foundational Sociological Issues from a Nondualist Perspective” by Chiara Bassetti, Erik Boström, Kenneth Liberman, Jakub Mlynář, Robin James Smith & Dirk vom Lehn https://doi.org/10.1007/s12108-026-09693-7Together with a team of sociologists – Chiara Bassetti, Erik Boström, Kenneth Liberman, Jakub Mlynář, Robin James Smith, I read Georg Simmel’s “Sociology. Inquiries into the Construction of Social… Read more: New Article: “Simmel and Ethnomethodology: Foundational Sociological Issues from a Nondualist Perspective” by Chiara Bassetti, Erik Boström, Kenneth Liberman, Jakub Mlynář, Robin James Smith & Dirk vom Lehn https://doi.org/10.1007/s12108-026-09693-7
- New edited collection with Will Gibson and Natalia Ruiz-Junco “Sensing Life: The Social Organisation of the Senses in Interaction” #ethnomethodology #sssi #symbolicinteraction #sociology #senses #perceptionTogether with Will Gibson (UCL) and Natalia Ruiz-Junco (Auburn University) I have published a new edited collection titled “Sensing Life: The Social Organisation of the… Read more: New edited collection with Will Gibson and Natalia Ruiz-Junco “Sensing Life: The Social Organisation of the Senses in Interaction” #ethnomethodology #sssi #symbolicinteraction #sociology #senses #perception
- Paper on Analysing “the Sequential Organization of Social Interaction in Exhibitions” #emca #video #sociology #museumLuise Reitstätter and Carla-Marinka Schorr have published an excellent edited collection titled “Methods of Exhibition Analysis” (open access, in English and German) that showcases a… Read more: Paper on Analysing “the Sequential Organization of Social Interaction in Exhibitions” #emca #video #sociology #museum
- Call for Applications: Collaborative PhD Studentship: (King’s Business School/College of Optometrists) (start date: October 2026)Blurred Jurisdictions: investigating the professional boundaries in Eye-Care in the UK King’s Business School (King’s College London), Public Services Management & Organisation & College of… Read more: Call for Applications: Collaborative PhD Studentship: (King’s Business School/College of Optometrists) (start date: October 2026)
Recent books
Sensing Life: The Social Organisation of the Senses in Interaction
Gibson, Ruiz-Junco and vom Lehn (eds), Routledge, 2026
Peopling Marketing, Organization, and Technology
vom Lehn, Routledge, 2024
People, Technology and Social Organization: Interactionist Studies of Everyday Life
vom Lehn, Gibson and Ruiz-Junco (eds), Routledge, 2023
Research areas
Museums and exhibitions
How visitors explore exhibits together
Markets and marketing
Selling, pricing and buying as interaction
Optometry and eye care
Professional practice in eye examinations
Technology and social media
How technologies feature in everyday interaction
Methods and methodology
Video-based research and qualitative analysis
Ethnomethodology and interactionism
Garfinkel, Goffman, Simmel and the study of practice
Opportunities
Summer institute
Video in qualitative research: materiality, embodiment and social interaction
The Work, Interaction & Technology Advanced Summer Institute at King’s, for doctoral students, postdocs and early-career researchers.
PhD studentships
Funded PhD projects at King’s Business School
New studentships are announced here. The 2026 collaborative studentship with the College of Optometrists closed on 31 March 2026.
