I am a PhD researcher at the Youth & Media Entertainment programme group at ASCoR. My dissertation focuses on human-robot communication. Prior to starting my PhD, I completed my undergraduate studies in psychology (BSc (Hons) Psychology, 2019) at University College London in the UK. Subsequently, I completed my Master's in Human-Machine Communication (MSc HMC, 2021) with an additional honours degree at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. Outside of research, I am actively involved in projects with a social impact. Previously, I founded and ran my own voluntary social organization aimed at providing research mentorship to university students. I am also an avid reader, photographer, and traveller!
My research interests lie at the intersection of psychology and technology.
During my undergraduate studies, I completed a summer semester abroad at Singapore Management University where I learnt about global technological trends and the design and application of smart technologies.
Subsequently, in my Master's, I specialized in cognitive engineering, a branch of human-machine communication focused on using psychological concepts and principles to building technological systems. I completed my Master's thesis at the Enhancing Ability Lab at Cornell Tech where I designed and evaluated an accessible virtual reality environment to facilitate social interaction among students with Autism Spectrum Disorder. I also completed a year long research internship at TNO, Netherlands where I studied social presence in mediated communication.
In a similar vein, my PhD project focuses on expanding our (theoretical) understanding of how we communicate with advanced social robots.