Laura Villa

Laura Villa is a researcher at the University of Castilla-La Mancha (UCLM), affiliated with the Department of Information Technologies and Systems under the Higher School of Informatics. She holds an FPU scholarship from the Ministry of Universities and a PIF research grant. Her work focuses on human-robot interaction, affective computing, and assistive technologies for elderly care and autism support. Laura’s research integrates robotics, artificial intelligence, and augmented reality to create proactive and emotionally intelligent systems.

Key achievements include winning the Best Scientific Communication Award at the 2024 XI Doctoral Conference for her work on 'Humanizing SARs: Early Endeavors in Proactive and Affective Interactions.' Prior recognition includes the 2022 Turing Machine Award for her final project. Her research trajectory includes developing the SHARA platform for robot interaction simulation and AutismAR Discovery, an AR tool for children with autism in Panama.

Her publications span topics like synthetic motion generation, comparative analysis of large language models, and empathy in conversational agents. Laura has actively participated in initiatives such as the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, emphasizing inclusivity in tech. She collaborates across disciplines, leveraging IoT and cybersecurity solutions (e.g., SAcRe) for identification systems. Her work bridges theoretical advancements with real-world applications in healthcare and education.