معرفی
Christian Dondrup is an Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science within the School of Mathematical & Computer Sciences at Heriot-Watt University. His research focuses on human-robot interaction, social robotics, and conversational AI systems, with an impressive publication record spanning from 2014 to 2025.
Dr. Dondrup's research explores how robots can understand and respond to human behavior through multimodal interaction, gesture generation, and natural conversation. His work investigates social cues for robot motion planning and how large language models enhance multi-party conversational capabilities in social robots. He has pioneered approaches using transformer neural networks for engagement prediction and learning-based systems for gesture synchronization.
His recent publications demonstrate a clear trajectory toward developing more natural human-robot interactions, integrating machine learning, computer vision, and natural language processing to create socially intelligent robots capable of sophisticated engagement in various settings.
Dr. Dondrup's contributions have been recognized with several prestigious awards:
- Best HRI Study (2016)
- RO-MAN 2023 - Honourable Mention as a Finalist in the KROS Interdisciplinary Research Award in Social Human-Robot Interaction
- Spirit of Heriot-Watt Awards 2017, Outward Looking
Through his collaborative research and media appearances, including contributions to Native Scientist 2017 and BBC 2 Timeline, Dr. Dondrup has demonstrated a commitment to public engagement and interdisciplinary collaboration in advancing social robotics.
