Ritwik Swain

Ritwik Swain is a researcher at Erasmus MC in the Department of Public Health, contributing to cutting-edge research on AI applications in healthcare and transportation safety. He earned his BSc in Psychology from the University of Groningen (2014) and MSc in Social & Organisational Psychology from Leiden University (2017), followed by a PhD from Queensland University of Technology in 2022. His doctoral thesis explored how sharing trajectory information can improve safety in semi-automated vehicles. Prior to joining Erasmus MC in 2024, he worked as a researcher at the Road Safety Research Collaboration, University of the Sunshine Coast.

• BSc in Psychology, University of Groningen (2014)
• MSc in Social & Organisational Psychology, Leiden University (2017)
• PhD, Queensland University of Technology (2022)

Ritwik’s research focuses on human interaction with automated systems, particularly in transport and healthcare. His work spans automated vehicle safety, driver awareness, public perception of emerging technologies, and the integration of artificial intelligence in medical diagnosis. He investigates how users understand and trust autonomous systems, using experimental methods to assess cognitive and behavioral responses.

His recent publications reveal a strong trend in applying psychological principles to real-world safety challenges. The articles emphasize human factors in automated driving, public engagement with technology, and urban mobility safety. Key themes include shared intention in conditional automation, parental perceptions of school travel routes, crash analysis in Queensland, and AI transparency in vehicle failure detection.

Ritwik is currently working on a Vidi grant project funded by NWO, which explores how physicians interact with AI tools for diagnosing skin cancer—bridging his expertise in human cognition with healthcare innovation.

He has published in high-impact journals such as Traffic Injury Prevention, Ergonomics, Journal of Urban Design, and Technology in Society. His research network includes collaborations with institutions in Australia and the Netherlands, particularly focusing on transport safety and AI ethics.