Tenured Assistant Professor of Human-Computer Interaction

As a Social Roboticist with expertise in Communication Science, my research centers on elucidating human perceptions of robots, particularly in instances of robotic error. I am intrigued by the impact of these perceptions on human-robot interactions and the development of strategies to equip robots with coping mechanisms for such scenarios. My research is driven by a fundamental curiosity regarding human behavior and cognition. Previous investigations have demonstrated that heightened anthropomorphic attributions to robots correlate positively with long-term acceptance. Looking forward, the progressive integration of robots into societal frameworks underscores the imperative to comprehensively understand people’s affective, behavioral, and cognitive responses to robots, with a view to optimizing human-robot collaborations.

Before starting at Utrecht University, I was a postdoctoral researcher affiliated with the Department of Communication Science at University of Twente (2015-2016) and later with the Department of Cognitive, Linguistic, and Psychological Sciences at Brown University (2017-2018). I have a Bachelor of Business Administration in Communication Management (2005), a Master of Science in Media Communication (2011), and a PhD in Communication Science and Human-Robot Interaction (2015).

More information about my research can be found on my personal website.