Stephen Boyd Davis has wide-ranging research interests.

Spatialised media: Where media were once constrained by the rectangles of the page and the screen, they are increasingly experienced within the spaces we inhabit and move through.

Depiction and representation: This work aims for a coherent account of the huge range of graphical depictions across cultures, through history and across media including painting, photography, film, television and interactive media.

Chronographics: The visual representation of time, such as in timelines, is often considered trivial. Science and design are brought together to tackle problems of representation and interaction with time.

Representing research knowledge: Practice-led research creates new demands on how knowledge is represented, such as in the PhD dissertation. Digital media add new opportunities.
History of computer art: Rediscovering neglected work and ideas from the pioneers of computer arts.