Laura Moradbakhti

Laura Moradbakhti serves as an Honorary Research Associate at the Dyson School of Design Engineering within Imperial College London's Faculty of Engineering and as a Research Associate at the Wellbeing Technologies Lab. Her work bridges psychological theory and technological innovation to address human well-being through responsible design.

Her academic credentials include a PhD in psychology and human-machine interaction from Johannes Kepler University Linz (Austria) and an MSc in Social Cognition from University College London. These foundations underpin her interdisciplinary approach to technology design.

Dr. Moradbakhti's research centers on supporting basic psychological needs—autonomy, competence, and relatedness—through technology. Her work spans digital health interventions, conversational AI systems, and ethical human-AI interaction, with particular focus on asthma management, mental health support, and gender dynamics in care robotics. She integrates psychological methodology with interaction design to create user-centered solutions that address real-world health challenges.

Analysis of her recent publications reveals a cohesive trajectory examining how technology satisfies fundamental human needs. Key themes include the development of validated psychological scales for technology contexts, gendered perceptions of AI assistants, trust mechanisms in generative AI, and cross-cultural implementation of digital health tools. Her mixed-methods approach consistently prioritizes user experience and ethical implications across healthcare domains.

Within the Wellbeing Technologies Lab, Dr. Moradbakhti contributes to the Responsible Engineering Design and Innovation initiative, focusing on creating technologies that enhance user agency while mitigating potential harms through evidence-based design frameworks.