Thusha Rajendran

Prof. Thusha Rajendran is a Professor of Developmental Psychology at Heriot-Watt University, leading the Developmental Psychology in Action Lab. He holds roles as Director of the Centre for Applied Behavioural Sciences and is affiliated with the Edinburgh Centre for Robotics. His research focuses on how digital technologies impact social and cognitive development in children and adults, particularly those with developmental disorders like autism. He explores socially assistive robotics, trust in human-robot interaction, and cognitive modeling for rehabilitation.

• Education: BSc and MSc in Psychology (University of Birmingham), PhD in Developmental Psychology (University of Nottingham).
• Career: ESRC Research Fellow (University of Nottingham), Lecturer (University of Edinburgh and Strathclyde), promoted to Professor at Heriot-Watt University in 2012.

Research interests include robotic applications for autism, embodied cognition, and interdisciplinary approaches to technology design. Collaborations span robotics, AI ethics, and educational technology. He leads projects like the UKRI Trustworthy Autonomous Systems Node on Trust and co-authored grants on computing education and embodied cognition. His work contributes to UN SDGs related to health and innovation.

Key publications analyze trust dynamics in human-robot interaction, mental well-being in autistic adults, and engineering education interventions. He has presented at international conferences and serves on editorial boards. The lab emphasizes reproducibility via Open Science Framework and collaborates with the National Robotarium.