Project Summary: 

My PhD research will be in the area of companion robots for loneliness. I am interested in the basic underlying stimuli that contribute to emotional interpretation of an object’s qualities. The intention is to find culturally, gender and age independent positive stimuli responses which can be translated into product properties within a soft robotic object. Designing with the person who will use the technology at the centre of the process is an important factor in health research. This project will employ co-design methodology to imagine, create and evaluate a series of prototypes and ensure the robot will be of greatest value to those who would benefit from it. 

General Profile:

My academic background is in health with a BSc Psychology (Goldsmiths) and an MSc Neuroscience (UCL). I have occupied multiple roles in this area including learning disabilities care, palliative care and wellbeing education. I have also completed a graduate scheme working as a data scientist in the financial sector.