I am an Assistant Professor of Computer Science at the University of Chicago where I direct the UChicago Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) Lab.
My current research explores social dynamics in human-robot interactions. I design social robots that can shape human-to-human interactions, enable long-term human-robot social relationships, and build a fundamental understanding of how to engineer human-like social interactions. My research demonstrates real impact in people's everyday lives through the design and development of robots for use in education, within collaborative teams, and in the home. I encourage you to learn more about my current work by visiting my lab website.
I am currently looking for motivated undergraduate and graduate students interested in human-robot interaction. If you are interested in getting involved with my research group, click here.
Featured Work
My lab seeks to design robots that can better help people and was recently featured in UChicago's Inside the Lab series (see video below). Our recent work, published in Science Robotics, highlights the potential for social robots to support children's learning in educational settings by demonstrating that robots can create "safe spaces" for children to learn, where children experience less anxiety engaging with robots compared with humans.