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Zhenhong Li is a Lecturer in Robotics and Control at the University of Manchester, holding an EPSRC Fellowship in physical human-robot interaction. He earned his B.Eng. from Huazhong University of Science and Technology (2013), and M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Control Engineering from the University of Manchester (2014 and 2019). Before joining Manchester in 2023, he was a Research Fellow in Rehabilitation Robotics at the University of Leeds (2019–2023). His research focuses on control technologies for human-robot systems, with applications in healthcare and industry. Key areas include physical human-robot interaction for rehabilitation, brain-computer interfaces, and neuromusculoskeletal modeling. He leads the Neurorobotics Lab (NRL) at Manchester and collaborates with healthcare professionals, industries, and designers via EPSRC/STFC/Wellcome Trust funding. Notable achievements include the 2019 Best Paper Award for Unmanned Systems and the 2020 EPS International Academic Pump-priming Award. In 2025, he was elected as a Senior Member of the IEEE. He actively organizes conferences and special issues, including the 2025 IEEE UK Robotics Conference and a Frontiers special issue on intelligent rehabilitation technology. Dr. Li supervises PhD candidates in robotics and control, emphasizing interdisciplinary approaches to human-robot interaction. His lab develops cutting-edge technologies like assistive exoskeletons and adaptive control systems for healthcare and industrial applications.

• Physical Human-Robot Interaction
• Rehabilitation Robotics
• Brain-Computer Interface
• +4 more

Dr. Tan Viet Tuyen Nguyen is a New Frontiers Fellow (Lecturer) in AI at the University of Southampton, specializing in Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence and Social Human-Robot Interaction. His research focuses on multimodal learning for robots to adapt their behavior to human social needs, with applications in healthcare, education, and service environments. Prior to this role, he was a Research Associate at King’s College London and a Research Assistant on the EU-funded CARESSES project, developing culturally-aware assistive robots for elderly support. Education: PhD in Information Science (Robotics) from Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology. He has organized conferences such as the IEEE RO-MAN 2022 special session on nonverbal communication and served as a reviewer for top-tier robotics and AI conferences. Research Interests include: Human-Robot Collaboration, Multimodal Perception, Generative AI for Social Interaction, and Context-Aware Robot Behavior Generation. His work has been recognized with awards including the Best Paper Award at ROMAN 2022 and the Prospective Research Award at ICServ 2023. Teaching Responsibilities include courses on Biologically Inspired Robotics, High-Level Programming, and MSc/Undergraduate project supervision. He currently oversees two PhD students and collaborates on projects like 'Exploring the impact of AI-driven writing of engagement in climate change' and 'Bridging Generations and Cultures through Generative AI.' Labs/Teams: Member of the Agents, Interaction and Complexity Centre and the Centre for Robotics Research at Southampton.

• Human-centered Artificial Intelligence
• Social Human-Robot Interaction
• Multimodal Perception and Interaction
• +5 more

Dr. Yar Muhammad is a Principal Lecturer in Computer Science at the University of Hertfordshire's School of Physics, Engineering & Computer Science. His research develops Brain-Computer Interface applications using AI/ML techniques for healthcare. He holds a PhD in ICT (Tallinn University of Technology) and dual master's degrees. Research Leadership: Supervised PhD students: Nimra Memon (fault-tolerance in web services), Dmytro Zabolotnii (agent behavior prediction), Mahir Gulzar (context-aware modeling) Accepts self-funded PhD candidates in BCI/AI applications Awards: Young Investigator Award (Springer/IFMBE, 2014) Best Paper Award Runner-up (26th ISSC 2015) Professional Recognition: Fellow of Higher Education Academy IEEE Senior Member Editorial board member for multiple journals

• Brain-Computer Interfaces
• Artificial Intelligence
• Machine Learning
• +1 more

Professor Dario Farina is Chair in Neurorehabilitation Engineering at the Department of Bioengineering, Faculty of Engineering, Imperial College London. He has previously served as Full Professor at Aalborg University, Denmark, and at the University Medical Center Göttingen, Germany, where he founded and directed the Institute of Neurorehabilitation Systems. His research spans biomedical signal processing, neural control of movement, and neurorehabilitation technology, with extensive contributions to electromyography, motor unit analysis, and neural interfaces. Chair in Neurorehabilitation Engineering, Imperial College London Former Full Professor, Aalborg University and University Medical Center Göttingen Founder and Director, Institute of Neurorehabilitation Systems Key Affiliations: Centre for Neurotechnology, Artificial Intelligence Network, Robotics Forum, Neuromechanics and Rehabilitation Technology His research focuses on biomedical signal processing , neural control of movement , and neurorehabilitation technology . He investigates how neural signals control muscles, develops methods to decode motor unit activity from EMG, and designs neural interfaces for prosthetics and rehabilitation. His work integrates computational modeling, signal processing, and clinical applications to improve bionic systems and neurorehabilitation outcomes. The recent publications (2024–2025) show a strong emphasis on high-density EMG , real-time motor unit decomposition , peripheral and cortical neural interfacing , closed-loop control systems , and AI-driven biosignal analysis . Key themes include decoding spinal and cortical signals, improving prosthetic control, understanding tremor mechanisms, and developing open-source tools for motor unit analysis. The work bridges neuroscience, engineering, and clinical practice. Scientific awards and honors include: Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award (2016) IEEE EMBS Early Career Achievement Award (2010) Nightingale Prize for best paper in MBEC (2007) Elected Fellow of EAMBES (2016) Elected Fellow of AIMBE (2012) Professor Farina has advised numerous researchers and students in neuroengineering and rehabilitation technology. He has led major research grants in neural interfaces and neurorehabilitation. He is Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology , an editor for IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering and The Journal of Physiology , and has held editorial roles in multiple journals. He was President of ISEK (2012–2014) and is a Senior Member of IEEE. He leads a research group focused on neuromechanics, neural decoding, and bionic systems. The team develops tools like I-Spin live and MUedit for real-time motor unit identification and contributes to open-source platforms such as NeuroMotion . The lab collaborates internationally on projects involving spinal cord stimulation, prosthetic control, and wearable robotics, aiming to translate neural engineering advances into clinical rehabilitation.

• Biomedical Engineering
• Neurorehabilitation Technology
• Biomedical Signal Processing
• +12 more

Professor Kaspar Althoefer is a Professor of Robotics Engineering at the School of Engineering and Materials Science , Queen Mary University of London. He leads the Centre for Advanced Robotics @ Queen Mary (ARQ) and serves as Programme Director for BEng/MEng Robotics Engineering. His research focuses on robot autonomy, soft robotics , and tactile sensing with applications in healthcare, nuclear engineering, and manufacturing. Research Highlights: Soft Robotics, Tactile Sensing, Haptic Perception, Minimally Invasive Surgery, Human-Robot Interaction Key Collaborations: St Thomas Hospital London, EU Horizon Europe, EPSRC, Innovate UK Accomplishments: £10M+ as Principal Investigator, 500+ peer-reviewed papers, 7 patent applications His work spans robot autonomy , soft robotics , and machine learning , particularly in modeling tool-environment interactions and developing tactile sensors for surgical and nuclear applications. Recent projects include intelligent endoscopic microsurgery robots and eversion robots for radiation mapping . Scientific Awards: Senior Member, IEEE He supervises a team of 6 PhD students and postdoctoral researchers, with completed projects in soft robotic gloves , pneumatic actuators , and eversion robot navigation .

• Robotics
• Soft Robotics
• Systems Engineering
• +7 more

Professor Andrew Jackson of Newcastle University is a leading researcher in neuroscience and neuroengineering, focusing on neural interfaces, optogenetics, and epilepsy. His work spans brain-computer interfaces, spinal cord stimulation, and sleep-dependent memory processes. Key research areas: closed-loop optogenetic systems, motor cortex dynamics, cerebellar-neocortical communication, and seizure pathway analysis. Collaborations with experts like Dr. Boubker Zaaimi, Professor Yujiang Wang, and Dr. Wei Xu. Develops implantable low-power platforms for real-time neural monitoring and stimulation. His recent publications highlight advancements in neuroprosthetics for motor recovery post-stroke/spinal injury, cortical chloride homeostasis in epilepsy, and mechanisms of brain self-regulation during movement and sleep. Technologies pioneered include flexible neural electrodes, temperature self-monitoring optoelectronics, and wearable bioelectrical signal systems. His work integrates computational neuroscience with clinical applications in motor disorders and epilepsy.

• Neuroscience
• Neuroengineering
• Epilepsy
• +6 more

Chris Freeman is a Professor of Robotics and Control at the University of Southampton's Electronics and Computer Science (ECS) school. His research focuses on iterative learning control theory, biomedical engineering, and robotics with applications in industrial automation and healthcare. As Deputy Head of School (Equity, Diversity and Inclusion) and Chair of the ECS Belonging, Inclusion, Diversity and Equity (BIDE) Committee, he drives initiatives promoting inclusive academic environments. Freeman leads multidisciplinary research projects such as "Towards intelligent, pervasive, high performance control system architectures" "Elder Athletes: building incidental interaction at home" "Low-cost personalised instrumented clothing with integrated FES electrodes" . His work combines robotics, functional electrical stimulation (FES), and wearable technologies to develop rehabilitation systems for stroke patients and industrial automation solutions. His recent publications demonstrate expertise in iterative learning control (ILC), model predictive control, and biomedical applications. Research groups include: Digital Health and Biomedical Engineering Institute for Life Sciences Centre for Health Technologies Centre for Robotics

• Iterative Learning Control
• Repetitive Control Theory
• Biomedical Engineering
• +7 more

Professor Hubert Shum is Professor of Visual Computing and Director of Research in the Department of Computer Science at Durham University. He co-directs the Durham University Space Research Centre and is a Fellow of the Wolfson Research Institute for Health and Wellbeing. His research develops responsible AI methods for computer vision and graphics. He leads projects funded by EPSRC, Ministry of Defence and Royal Society, focusing on human motion analysis, 3D reconstruction, and medical imaging. His work has applications in healthcare, autonomous systems and space technology. Recent publications in IEEE Transactions and CVPR conferences advance human motion prediction, surgical workflow modeling, and 3D vision. He has chaired leading conferences including Pacific Graphics and BMVC.

• Responsible AI
• Computer Vision
• Computer Graphics
• +2 more

Professor Klaus McDonald-Maier is a full Professor in the School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering (CSEE) at the University of Essex , where he leads the Embedded and Intelligent Systems (EIS) Research Laboratory and heads the Intelligent Embedded Systems and Environments Research Group . He is also Director of Impact , Visiting Professor at the University of Kent, and Visiting Research Affiliate at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology. Education PhD in High-Performance Parallel Neural Network Architectures, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena (Germany, 1999) Electronic Engineering studies, University of Ulm (Germany) Electronic Engineering studies, Cardiff University (Wales) Electronic Engineering studies, École Supérieur de Chimie Physique Électronique de Lyon (CPE-Lyon) (France) Research Interests Professor McDonald-Maier’s research integrates embedded systems , System-on-Chip (SoC) architectures , and AI-driven robotics . He pioneers visual place recognition techniques that remain robust under severe appearance and viewpoint changes, develops cybersecurity frameworks based on ICMetrics for autonomous vehicles and IoT, and designs approximate real-time computing solutions for energy-constrained multicore and FPGA platforms. His work on radiation-tolerant systems supports space and nuclear applications, while his bio-inspired algorithms enable lightweight, neuromorphic perception on resource-limited robots. Publication Trends Between 2022 and 2025 his output converges on FPGA-accelerated AI , secure edge intelligence , visual navigation for autonomous systems , and healthcare analytics . He repeatedly couples rigorous algorithmic innovation with practical hardware deployment, yielding energy-efficient, real-time systems validated in domains ranging from autonomous driving to post-stroke rehabilitation. Scientific Awards & Recognition Best Paper Award – IEEE Transactions on Sustainable Computing (2024) Best Paper Award – IEEE/ACM DATE (2024) Best Paper Award – IEEE Systems Journal (2022) Best Paper Award – IEEE Sensors Journal (2021) Best Paper Award – IEEE Access (2020) Research Grants & Industrial Collaboration He has secured major funding from EPSRC , EU Horizon 2020 , Innovate UK , and industry partners. Current projects span trustworthy autonomy, radiation-hardened edge AI, and AI-enhanced rehabilitation technologies. He is Chief Scientist of UltraSoC Technologies Ltd and CEO of Metrarc Ltd , commercialising University research in semiconductor debug and cybersecurity respectively. Laboratory & Team Leadership As Director of the Embedded and Intelligent Systems Laboratory (EIS Lab) , he oversees a multidisciplinary team of researchers and PhD students, providing state-of-the-art FPGA, robotics, and embedded-systems facilities. The lab collaborates closely with NASA JPL, UK Atomic Energy Authority, and leading semiconductor firms to translate fundamental research into high-impact industrial solutions.

• Embedded Systems
• System-on-Chip (SoC) Design
• Computer Architecture
• +5 more

Professor Christopher Price serves as Deputy Director of the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) North East and North Cumbria (NENC) and holds the position of Professor of Stroke and Applied Health Research at Newcastle University's Faculty of Medical Sciences. He also functions as the NIHR's National Specialty Lead for Stroke and maintains a clinical role as a Stroke Medicine Consultant with the Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. Professor Price completed his medical training with an MB ChB (hons) from Birmingham in 1992, earned his MD from Newcastle University in 2003, and became a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians (FRCP) in 2006 while simultaneously completing his MClinEd at Newcastle. As a clinical researcher, Professor Price specializes in developing and implementing interventions that improve emergency stroke treatment access. His work focuses on three main pillars: clinical trials of non-pharmaceutical technologies in stroke care, translational studies of diagnostics, and evaluation of service provision models. He has pioneered ambulance-based clinical trials evaluating novel point-of-care diagnostics and enhanced clinical assessment processes for suspected stroke patients. His research extends to stroke recovery, where he investigates innovative approaches like wristband accelerometry to encourage upper limb activity and collect recovery biomarker data. The Stroke Association has recognized his contributions with the HRH Princess Margaret Senior Reader Fellowship. Professor Price's recent publications reveal a strategic shift toward system-level interventions addressing the entire stroke care pathway. His work increasingly examines mobile stroke units, health equity in stroke care, and implementation challenges of new treatment pathways across the NHS. There's a clear progression from individual diagnostic tools toward comprehensive service redesign that considers geographic accessibility, cost-effectiveness, and patient-centered outcomes. The Stroke Association HRH Princess Margaret Senior Reader Fellowship Stroke Association HRH Princess Margaret Research Development Fellow Professor Price has mentored several doctoral researchers including Graham McClelland (focusing on stroke mimic probability scores), Eugene Tsang (researching post-stroke dementia), and Sarah Moore (investigating physical activity interventions after stroke). He has secured substantial research funding totaling millions of pounds from major organizations including the Medical Research Council, Innovate UK, NIHR, and The Stroke Association. His most significant grants include the £3 million RATULS trial on robot-assisted upper limb rehabilitation after stroke and the £1.96 million NIHR Programme Grant for 'Promoting Effective And Rapid Stroke Care,' which evaluated enhanced paramedic assessment processes for stroke patients. Professor Price leads the Stroke Research Group within Newcastle University's Population Health Sciences Institute. His team maintains strong collaborations with national and international academic institutions, industry partners, the North East Ambulance Service, and multiple NHS Trusts. The group has gained particular recognition for its innovative ambulance-based clinical trials, including the landmark PASTA trial published in JAMA Neurology, which demonstrated how enhanced paramedic assessment improves thrombolysis delivery during emergency stroke care.

• Stroke Medicine
• Emergency Stroke Care
• Clinical Trials
• +6 more

Dr Stuart Miller is an Associate Professor (Reader) in Human Biomechanics and Academic Lead for Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) at Queen Mary University of London's William Harvey Research Institute, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry. He leads the Sports and Exercise Medicine Centre, managing the Human Performance Lab and teaching biomechanics, research methods, and rehabilitation modules. His academic background includes a BSc from Bath University and a PhD from Brunel University focusing on EMG-driven modeling of tibialis anterior force. He is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy since 2012. Research focuses on neuromuscular and biomechanical aspects of human movement, particularly in populations with musculoskeletal injuries/diseases like tendinopathy, knee injuries, and post-traumatic osteoarthritis. He collaborates with internal researchers (Dr Ildar Farkhatdinov, Prof Francesco Dell'Accio) and external experts (Prof Anthony Blazevich). His work integrates clinical biomechanics, sports science, and statistical analysis to improve diagnostic frameworks and rehabilitation strategies. Teaching includes coordinating the Medical pathway for MSc Sport and Exercise Medicine and leading modules on Biomechanics and Rehabilitation (iBSc), Research Methods, and Research Projects (MSc). His applied research bridges theory and practice, addressing real-world sports medicine challenges through innovative technologies like robotic balance augmentation and advanced kinematic analysis.

• Biomechanics
• Sports Medicine
• Musculoskeletal Physiology
• +3 more

David Brown is a Professor in Interactive Systems for Social Inclusion at Nottingham Trent University's School of Science & Technology, Department of Computer Science. He serves as Director of the Computing and Informatics Research Centre (CIRC) and Research Group Leader for the Interactive Systems Research Group (ISRG). Director, Computing and Informatics Research Centre Research Group Leader, Interactive Systems Research Group Governor, Oak Field School for students with severe learning disabilities Conference Chair, International Conference on Disability, Virtual Reality and Associated Technology (ICDVRAT21) Associate Editor, Frontiers: Virtual Reality in Medicine Professor Brown's research focuses on developing inclusive technologies for people with disabilities. His work spans accessibility for students with learning, physical and sensory impairments; virtual reality applications for rehabilitation; multimodal affect recognition systems; social robotics for education; accessible visual programming toolkits; and serious games for developing physical and cognitive skills. His research is characterized by strong interdisciplinary collaboration and practical application in educational and healthcare settings. His recent publications demonstrate a consistent focus on applying emerging technologies like virtual reality, machine learning, and social robotics to address real-world challenges in accessibility and inclusion. The research shows a clear trajectory toward increasingly sophisticated multimodal systems that can detect user states and adapt accordingly, with applications ranging from autism support to mental health interventions. Extensive EU-funded research projects including Horizon 2020, Erasmus+, and EPSRC grants Notable projects: DIVERSIA, MaTHiSiS, Pathway, AI-TOP, EDUROB, No One Left Behind, Real Life, RISE Professor Brown has supervised numerous PhD students and collaborates extensively with international partners across Europe and Asia. His work bridges computer science, psychology, education, and healthcare to create technologies that promote social inclusion and improve quality of life for people with disabilities.

• Accessibility
• Virtual Reality
• Multimodal Affect Recognition
• +5 more

Dr. Shabnam Sadeghi Esfahlani is an Associate Professor in Robotics at the School of Engineering and the Built Environment, Anglia Ruskin University , where she serves as Deputy Leader of the BORI research group and leads the Automation & Robotics MSc program. Her interdisciplinary expertise spans mechatronics, artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and serious games , with a focus on applications for rehabilitation, medical training, and autonomous systems . As a Chartered Engineer and Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy , she has secured significant funding from Innovate UK, Horizon 2020, and GCRF , with grants exceeding £3 million. Education PhD in Mechanical Engineering, Anglia Ruskin University BSc (First Class) in Statistics & Mathematical Science, Shahid Beheshty University Her research integrates AI with robotics for societal impact, exemplified by the open-source SROBO ground robot and projects like Rehabgame and the Assistive Feeding Robot . She has published over 45 peer-reviewed articles and contributes to academic communities as a journal guest editor and conference organizer . Key collaborations include IET, IMechE, and the Nuffield Foundation as a mentor for young students. Scientific Awards & Recognitions: Chartered Engineer (CEng), Engineering Council UK Senior Fellow (SFHEA), Higher Education Academy Student-Voted 'Made a Difference Award' (2018) Post-Graduate Certificate in Higher Education

• Robotics
• Mechatronics
• Artificial Intelligence
• +3 more

Katherine Twomey is a Lecturer in Language & Communicative Development at the University of Manchester's Division of Psychology, Communication and Human Neuroscience. She holds a PhD from the University of Sussex (2013) focusing on early word learning processes. Her research uses computational and empirical methods to study how infants and toddlers learn language, particularly the influence of environmental stimuli and curiosity-driven exploration. She is affiliated with the Autism@Manchester initiative and the Centre for Robotics and Artificial Intelligence (RAI), contributing to interdisciplinary projects. Key research areas include curiosity mechanisms in early learning, the role of perceived emotions in word acquisition, and telehealth interventions for aphasia. She has received awards such as the Future Research Leaders Fellowship (2016) and has published over 50 peer-reviewed works. Twomey’s work addresses UN Sustainable Development Goal 4 (Quality Education) and 3 (Good Health and Well-being), with projects like the TALES program targeting post-stroke literacy recovery. She actively collaborates with NHS trusts and participates in autism-focused summits, demonstrating commitment to translational research and societal impact. Her research methodologies span experimental psychology, neurocomputational modeling, and longitudinal studies, with datasets archived at the UK Data Service. Twomey is also engaged in public outreach, contributing to media discussions on child language development and autism advocacy.

• Language Development
• Cognitive Development
• Infant and Toddler Learning
• +3 more

Carlos Cifuentes is an Associate Professor in Human-Robot Interaction at the Bristol Robotics Laboratory (BRL) , part of the University of the West of England (UWE Bristol) . He also serves as the Deputy Director of the VIVO Hub , a £13.4M UK-funded research initiative (2024-2030) focused on robotics for rehabilitation and healthcare. His research spans Human-Robot Interaction , Rehabilitation Robotics , Healthcare Robotics , and Socially Assistive Robotics , with applications for conditions such as cardiac diseases , post-stroke recovery , spinal cord injuries , cerebral palsy , Parkinson's disease , musculoskeletal disorders , and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) . Carlos has over 15 years of experience and 200+ publications in robotics for rehabilitation and assistive technologies. His recent work explores smart walkers with multimodal feedback, soft prosthetics using polymeric optical fiber sensors , and machine learning models for fatigue and stress estimation. He also investigates inclusive design for social robots in global contexts , including a CASTOR Robot for ASD therapy and collaborative design processes with Colombian communities. Carlos serves as an Associate Editor for IEEE Robotics and Automation Magazine (since 2021), ICRA , and IROS (since 2023). He leads projects integrating wearable sensors , deep learning , and haptic feedback to enhance mobility, autonomy, and quality of life for individuals with disabilities. As Deputy Director of the VIVO Hub, he focuses on long-term deployment of robotic systems in real-world healthcare settings, emphasizing collaboration with clinicians , caregivers , and neurodiverse communities . His work bridges robotics , biomedical engineering , and human-centered design .

• Human-Robot Interaction
• Rehabilitation Robotics
• Socially Assistive Robotics
• +7 more