Timothy W. Bickmore

Timothy W. Bickmore is a Professor at the Khoury College of Computer Sciences at Northeastern University, where he conducts pioneering research on Relational Agents and their applications in healthcare. His work spans human-computer interaction, virtual agents, and health behavior change systems, with a focus on creating computer agents that can build and maintain long-term social-emotional relationships with people.

Dr. Bickmore's research centers on developing agents capable of emulating face-to-face interaction through hand gestures, facial expressions, and body posture. His work is particularly focused on healthcare applications including health education and behavior change interventions. His research methodology involves communication studies of health provider-patient interactions, dialogue planning approaches that address both behavioral intervention and social aspects, and clinical trials to evaluate system efficacy.

His publications reveal a sustained focus on how relational agents can improve health outcomes through long-term engagement. Recent work has explored applications in medication adherence, antipsychotic treatment, health literacy improvement, and public health interventions. His research demonstrates how virtual agents can effectively deliver therapeutic interventions while maintaining user engagement over extended periods.

Dr. Bickmore directs the Relational Agents Group laboratory at Northeastern University, where he mentors students and researchers working at the intersection of artificial intelligence, human-computer interaction, and healthcare. He has taught courses including Principles of Information Science, Empirical Research Methods, and Human-Computer Interaction.