Dan Phillips is a Senior Research Fellow and Studio Leader at the Intelligent Mobility Design Centre (IMDC), Royal College of Art. With 30 years of experience, he specializes in intelligent mobility systems, sustainable development, and empathic design. He holds degrees from Imperial College and the University of Cambridge. His work bridges design, technology, and societal impact, addressing urban futures, inclusive mobility, and environmental resilience. Education: Imperial College London University of Cambridge Research Focus: Aligning community innovation with sustainable development. Key areas include driverless futures, rural mobility, and design for health care. He advocates for systemic change through empathic design, emphasizing feedback between legislation, culture, and technology. Key Projects: Driverless Futures study (2020) Rural Mobility initiatives with the RAC Foundation Design of Slow Interchanges with Weston Williamson Architects 2020 RCA symposium on 'Designing Intelligence into Cities' Awards: Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. Projects like the Eastgate Centre (Zimbabwe) and Nottingham Jubilee Campus received international sustainability awards. Advisory Roles: Member of institutional groups on cities, sustainability, and the built environment. Previously Global Director for Sustainability at Buro Happold. Labs/Teams: Leads IMDC's research on urban mobility systems. Collaborates with InnovationRCA and industry partners like TRL and the Helen Hamlyn Centre.
Daniele Mazzei is a postdoctoral researcher at the Interdepartmental Research Center "E.Piaggio" at the University of Pisa. He coordinates the FACETeam, focusing on social robot control systems for empathic human-robot interaction, and leads a collaboration between the "E.Piaggio" Center and the Department of Computer Science at the University of Pisa. His work extends to embedded wearable systems for physiological monitoring and affective state inference through multivariate signal processing. PhD in Automatic Robotics and Bioengineering (2010), University of Pisa Master Degree in Biomedical Engineering (2006), University of Pisa His research interests include robotics, bioengineering, tissue engineering, and wearable monitoring systems. He developed bioreactor systems for tissue engineering during his PhD and is now advancing social robotics for autism therapy. His work spans embedded systems, microcontroller-based solutions, and cross-cultural robotic platforms. Daniele is a co-inventor of 7 patents and has collaborated internationally, including a visitor researcher role at Carnegie Mellon University's CYLAB in 2011. He partners with Hanson Robotics on robotic autism therapy systems and contributes to European projects on unobtrusive physiological monitoring.
Dr Gary McKeown is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Psychology at Queen's University Belfast. His research focuses on social and communicative interactions, affective computing, laughter, and humor, with applications in embodied conversational agents and risk communication. He has led and contributed to multiple research projects, including those on reducing car dependency and developing empathic AI systems. McKeown has authored over 80 publications and received awards such as the Outstanding Paper Award (2013) and QUB Research Culture Seed Fund (2021). His work has been featured in media including BBC Radio 4 documentaries on emotion AI and empathic cars. Affiliations: School of Psychology, Intelligent Autonomous Manufacturing Systems (research group) Projects: Active and completed projects include 'contactVIRT' (2019–present), 'Reducing Car Dependency in Belfast' (2020–2022), and collaborations with Sensumco Limited (KTP projects). Media Engagements: Expert commentary on BBC Radio regarding emotion recognition technologies and empathic AI. Research Interests McKeown's interdisciplinary work explores how social signals, emotions, and laughter shape human interactions. His key areas include: Social signal processing and affective computing Cross-cultural emotion perception Evolution of communication and language Risk perception and opinion dynamics Development of embodied conversational agents Publications & Awards His influential works include the SEMAINE Database (2012) and studies on laughter perception. Awards highlight contributions to interdisciplinary research and ethical AI standards. Labs & Collaborations McKeown collaborates internationally on emotion research and advises on projects like the Consortium of European Research on Emotion. He hosts academic visitors and participates in peer-review activities across journals and conferences.
Dr. Jorge Pardo is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Centre for Accident Research & Road Safety – Queensland (CARRS-Q), Queensland University of Technology (QUT). He holds a BEng in Mechatronics Engineering and an MScEng in Mechanical Engineering from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), and a PhD in an unspecified field. His research focuses on human-computer interaction, machine learning, physiological data analysis, computer vision, robotics, and transportation safety. He contributes to the Chair in Empathic Machines project, developing intention-aware cooperative driving models for automated vehicles. Educations: BEng (Mechatronics Engineering), National Autonomous University of Mexico MScEng (Mechanical Engineering), National Autonomous University of Mexico PhD Research Projects: Chair in Empathic Machines: Intention-aware cooperative driving behaviour model for automated vehicles Collaborations: Academic: Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Technical University of Munich, University of Leeds, Loughborough University, Cornell Tech Industry: Autoliv, Ford Mexico, Continental, Seeing Machines His work integrates academic rigor and industry insights to advance road safety and human-centered intelligent transport systems through data acquisition, processing, visualization, and machine learning. Awards: 2019 Australian Government RTP Stipend & Fees Offset (International) 2016-2018 CONACYT National Postgraduate Scholarship (Mexico)
Joana Rita Pasion Ferreira is a Researcher at the Faculty of Psychology and Education (FPE), Lusofona University, affiliated with the Human Environment Interaction Lab (HEI-LAB). She holds a Master's degree in Psychology from the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences of the University of Porto and is a certified member of the Portuguese Psychological Association. Expertise in neuroscience methods for studying psychopathology since 2014 Key contributor to the NIMH RDoC initiative for biomarker discovery in mental disorders Demonstrated leadership in 9 active/recent projects including HiTOP-SR and Empathic Heart Her research focuses on etiological pathways of internalizing/externalizing disorders (anxiety, depression, psychopathy), predictive processing models, and perinatal mental health. Media coverage of her work includes pediatric implications of maternal trauma and cannabis use prediction in adolescents. Recent scientific awards recognize her contributions to: ERP-based classification models for psychopathology Network analysis of psychopathy mechanisms Meta-analytic frameworks for autism traits Her collaborative work spans institutions like University of Porto , La Caixa Foundation , and BIAL Foundation , with presentations at international conferences (2024-2025) on topics such as mother-infant bonding and help-seeking barriers for violence victims.
Leah Chong is an Assistant Professor in the Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin. She holds a BS from Rice University (2017), MS and PhD from Carnegie Mellon University (2020-2022), and previously worked as a postdoctoral associate at MIT's Ideation Lab. Her research focuses on human-AI collaboration in engineering design, exploring how computational tools impact designer cognition and creativity, and developing frameworks for effective human-centered design. Education: Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, Rice University (2017) Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University (2020) Doctor of Philosophy in Mechanical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University (2022) Research Interests: Dr. Chong investigates AI-assisted decision-making, artificial empathy in design, and qualitative design methodologies. Her work combines computational modeling with human-subject experiments to understand how AI integration influences design processes, creativity, and decision-making. Key themes include trust dynamics between humans and AI, confidence calibration, and optimizing collaborative workflows. Awards: ASME Design Theory and Methodology Best Paper Award Carnegie Mellon's Milton Shaw Ph.D. Research Award Carnegie Mellon Presidential Fellowship Research Group: Dr. Chong leads a team exploring cutting-edge topics like LLM-based empathic inference and CAD-prompted generative models. She actively seeks motivated students (undergraduate, MS, PhD) to join her lab, emphasizing innovative research ideas and alignment with her focus areas.
Susann Ji Sears holds multiple key positions at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign: Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Community Health Director of Beckwith Residential Support Services Assistant Director of Disability Resources and Educational Services (DRES) Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology Affiliate Her research portfolio emphasizes: Disability inclusion frameworks Career readiness metrics for students with disabilities Empathic design methodologies Type D personality impacts on academic outcomes Veteran transition support systems She investigates how personality traits influence career development in disabled college students while pioneering design approaches that center lived disability experiences. Her work bridges rehabilitation counseling, educational psychology, and inclusive design theory. Publication analysis reveals consistent focus on intersectional barriers faced by students with disabilities and veterans. Key trends include measuring personality-disability interactions, developing veteran-specific transition models, and establishing ethical co-design protocols with disabled communities. As Director of Beckwith Residential Support Services, she oversees comprehensive housing and academic accommodations for students with disabilities, creating structured pathways for campus integration and academic success.
Reza Vaezi is a Professor of Information Systems at the Coles College of Business, Kennesaw State University, and serves as the Discipline Lead for the Ph.D. program in Information Systems & Security. He holds a Ph.D. in Business Administration from the University of Houston, an MSc in Management Information Systems from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and a BSc in Industrial Engineering from Sharif University of Technology. Ph.D. - Business Administration - University of Houston MSc - Management Information Systems - University of Nevada, Las Vegas BSc - Industrial Engineering - Sharif University of Technology His research focuses on artificial intelligence, consciousness, user satisfaction, and technology adoption. Recent work explores conscious empathic AI and its ethical implications, while earlier studies examined satisfaction theories, cloud computing adoption, and computer-mediated social networks. Publications span topics from blockchain in business to situational awareness in disasters, reflecting interdisciplinary applications of information systems. Key trends include ethical AI, behavioral theory integration, and data-driven decision-making frameworks.
Associate Professor Bernadette Fitzgibbon is Deputy Director of Research at Monarch Mental Health Group and holds academic appointments as Associate Professor at the Australian National University (ANU) and Monash University. Her work bridges clinical neuroscience, mental health, and chronic pain management, with a focus on innovative treatments such as brain stimulation and psychedelic therapies. Associate Professor, ANU – College of Health and Medicine, School of Medicine and Psychology Associate Professor, Monash University – Central Clinical School, Department of Psychiatry Deputy Director of Research, Monarch Mental Health Group Her research centers on understanding and treating chronic pain and mental illness through neurostimulation techniques like transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and theta burst stimulation (TBS), as well as exploring the therapeutic potential of psychedelic compounds. She integrates neuroimaging, neurophysiology, and clinical trials to develop next-step treatment services. Bernadette’s recent publications highlight her leadership in clinical brain stimulation research, with studies on depression, fibromyalgia, PTSD, autism, and meditation. Her work demonstrates strong translational impact, with several trials already influencing clinical practice. Key themes include neuromodulation efficacy, biomarker discovery, and biopsychosocial mechanisms of pain and mental health. Her scientific contributions have been recognized through multiple awards: Vice-Chancellor's Commendation for Doctoral Thesis Excellence (2013) Young Researcher of the Year (2014) Young Tall Poppy Science Award (2014) Australasian Brain Stimulation Society Early Career Award (2018) Invited Tess Cramond Lecturer (2021) Plenary speaker at the Neuromodulation Society of Australia & New Zealand (2022, 2024) Bernadette has secured over $2.5 million in research funding and led multiple clinical trials as Primary Chief Investigator. She has served on national advisory boards, including as Chair of the Australian Brain Alliance EMCR Network (2017–2021) and Executive Member of the Australian Brain Alliance. She is also an editorial board member of the Journal of Clinical and Translational Neuroscience and has organized STEM leadership programs for mid-career women. Her external affiliations include: Research Affiliate, Epworth Foundation (2019–present) Honorary Senior Fellow, Department of Physiotherapy, University of Melbourne (2019–present) Honorary Researcher, Alfred Hospital (2016–present)
Andrew Wodehouse is a Professor in the Department of Design, Manufacturing and Engineering Management at the University of Strathclyde. His research focuses on creative design processes, integrating human-centric and computational approaches to develop holistic product experiences, interfaces, and geometries. He leads UKRI and EU-funded projects, collaborating across disciplines like drama, bioengineering, and business to innovate design methods. Education Doctor of Engineering (2010), University of Strathclyde Master of Engineering (1998), University of Glasgow/Glasgow School of Art Bachelor of Engineering (1997), Hanzehogeschool van Groningen Research Interests Wodehouse’s work addresses product design and development dynamics, including user interaction, collaborative design processes, and socio-cultural drivers of innovation. His expertise spans creativity, interaction design, and design culture, with a focus on sustainable and human-centric solutions. Awards Best Poster Award (2013) Best Poster Award (2025) for Cultivating Wellbeing: unpacking the health and wellbeing benefits of home growing for NHS staff Projects and Grants He leads projects such as the AHRC-funded Designing for biodiversity: new practices for the Scottish tea growing industry and the EPSRC-funded DTP 2224 University of Strathclyde , emphasizing interdisciplinary collaboration and societal impact. Labs and Teams Wodehouse is part of the Design Research Group and co-chairs the Design Society’s Special Interest Group in Design Creativity, fostering innovation through community engagement and advisory roles.
Dr. Caroline Catmur is a Reader in Cognitive Psychology at King's College London's Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, where she joined in August 2015. Her research focuses on the psychological and neural mechanisms underlying social cognitive abilities including imitation, empathy, and theory of mind. She leads the Experimental and Social Psychology Research Group (EASY) within the Department of Psychology. Dr. Catmur earned her PhD in Psychology from University College London and completed her undergraduate studies with a BA in Experimental Psychology from the University of Oxford. Prior to her current position, she served as a Lecturer in Cognitive Psychology at the University of Surrey. She is also recognized as a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy for her contributions to teaching and learning. Her research program investigates social cognition through multiple lenses, with particular emphasis on how social experience shapes the brain's mirror neuron system, how brain stimulation can illuminate social interaction mechanisms, and how empathic abilities develop. Her work bridges cognitive psychology, neuroscience, and clinical applications, particularly in understanding autism spectrum disorders and alexithymia. She has made significant contributions to understanding the relationship between language development and emotional processing, face perception mechanisms, and the cognitive foundations of theory of mind. Dr. Catmur's recent publications reveal a strong focus on mental state attribution, with increasing attention to computational approaches to theory of mind and the intersection of artificial intelligence with human social cognition. Her work consistently examines individual differences in social cognitive abilities, particularly regarding autism spectrum conditions and alexithymia, while maintaining a strong foundation in experimental cognitive psychology methods. Philip Leverhulme Prize in Psychology from the Leverhulme Trust (2015) Fellow of the Higher Education Academy Dr. Catmur has secured significant research funding from major organizations including the Royal Society, Economic and Social Research Council, Experimental Psychology Society, John Templeton Foundation, and Wellcome Trust. She has led two major research projects: 'The Role of Cultural Evolution in Human Understanding' (2022-2024, John Templeton Foundation) and 'Mirroring intentions? Establishing the contribution of mirror neurons to action understanding' (2016-2019, Leverhulme Trust). Her work has been widely disseminated through numerous peer-reviewed publications and has gained attention in both academic and public spheres. Dr. Catmur is actively involved with the IoPPN Virtual Reality Research Lab, a world-leading multidisciplinary group dedicated to VR-based research, assessment, and treatments to improve mental health and enhance well-being. She also contributes to the Research Centre for Technology and the Body, exploring how embodied technology shapes human experience from basic tools to modern interfaces.
Dr. Alexander Hahn is a Professor for Digital Marketing and Communication at Munich Business School (MBS) and a Visiting Professor at Solvay Brussels School Economics & Management since 2015. He collaborates with part-time and full-time MBA students on brand management projects, including development of 10 digital prototypes like chatbots and landing pages, tested with hundreds of users. Research focuses on digital brand identity, chatbot tonality's impact on brand perception, and empathic human-computer interaction. His 2018 study in Markenartikel provides actionable recommendations for chatbot design, emphasizing user-centric testing and brand compliance. Work spans corporate/startup projects, digital transformation, and practical applications of brand management theories.
Lynne Hall is a Professor in the Department of Computer Science within the School of Computing, Engineering and Digital Technologies at the University of Sunderland. With a distinguished career spanning over two decades, Professor Hall has established herself as a leading researcher in human-computer interaction, particularly focusing on child-computer interaction, serious games, and virtual environments for educational purposes. Her research interests center on social and emotional learning through technology, empathic agents, bullying intervention systems, and cultural sensitivity in educational technologies. Professor Hall has pioneered work in developing virtual environments and serious games that address critical social issues including child mental health, bullying prevention, and cultural understanding. She has extensively researched methods for engaging children in the design and evaluation of interactive technologies, developing specialized techniques appropriate for young users. Professor Hall's publication record demonstrates a consistent focus on creating technologies that promote social and emotional development in children. Her work often involves interdisciplinary collaboration with psychologists, educators, and domain specialists to create evidence-based interventions. Her research has evolved from early work on virtual anti-bullying interventions like the FearNot! system to more recent projects addressing child suicide prevention in Japan and transformative learning during the pandemic. Her leadership in the field is evident through her numerous publications in top-tier journals including the International Journal of Child-Computer Interaction, Journal of Artificial Intelligence and Education, and IEEE Transactions. Professor Hall has also contributed significantly to methodological advances in evaluating technologies with children, developing approaches like the 'Five Degrees of Happiness' smiley face Likert scales. Professor Hall has been actively involved in third stream activities, exploring university-industry collaboration and knowledge exchange, as evidenced by her publications on academic engagement with SMEs and third stream activities. Her work bridges academic research with practical applications that address real-world challenges in education and social development.
Deniz Peters is a Professor at the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz (KUG) in Austria, serving as Head of the Artistic-Scientific Doctoral School KWDS, Chair of Curricula Commission XIII for Dr.artium, and Co-Head of the FWF Project P 34449 'The Epistemic Power of Music'. His academic position is centered at the Center for Artistic Research in Graz, Austria. Peters is an artistic researcher in music with a focus on expression, empathy, improvisation, and the theory and methods of artistic research. His approach of 'artistic exploration towards conceptual refinement' combines artistic practice with aesthetic and phenomenological inquiry. His research examines how musical experience confronts listeners with emotions that may not be their own, distinguishing between musical and social empathy. His scholarly work investigates the relationship between embodiment and musical experience, particularly in electronic music contexts where the coupling of action and sound generation is altered or effaced. Peters' publications reveal how composers', performers', improvisers' and listeners' bodies, as well as works' and technologies' figurative bodies, serve as rich sources of expressive articulation that reclaim performativity. His research projects include the Embodied Generative Music (EGM) project, which explores interactive performance environments and the relationship between dance and sonic perception. Peters' publications span interdisciplinary perspectives including aesthetics, philosophy of mind, phenomenology, dance, interactive performance arts, sociology, computer music, and sonic arts. Head, Artistic-Scientific Doctoral School KWDS Chair, Curricula Commission XIII – Dr.artium Co-Head, FWF Project P 34449 – The Epistemic Power of Music
Xiaojuan Ma is a Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) . Her office is located in Room 3507 of the Academic Building (Lifts 25-26), and she can be reached at mxj@cse.ust.hk . Research Interests: Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) Data Visualization & Visual Analytics Human-AI Collaboration & Social Computing Computational Social Science AI in Healthcare & Educational Technology Her work explores how advanced AI—especially large language models and generative AI—can be seamlessly integrated into human workflows, creative practices, and decision-making processes while preserving human agency and cultural values. Recent Publication Trends (2025): Across 15 forthcoming papers, a clear pattern emerges: the majority investigate human-centered design of AI systems, spanning creative communities (DeviantArt), traditional medicine, hospital admissions, children’s literacy, and older-adult journaling. Visualization and mixed-reality techniques are repeatedly leveraged to make complex data and AI outputs interpretable. Scientific Awards: CHI 2025 Honorable Mention for “Signaling Human Intentions to Service Robots” CHI 2025 Honorable Mention for “‘Let’s Resolve Conflicts’: A Human-AI Deliberation Framework” CHI 2025 Honorable Mention for “‘AI Afterlives’ as Digital Legacy” Student Supervision & Collaborations: Prof. Ma advises an extensive cohort of PhD and Master’s students—including Qingyu, Kangyu, Runhua, Ziqi, Chengbo, Shuai, and more—and maintains active collaborations with researchers at ECNU, SYSU, ShanghaiTech, CityU, HKUST-GZ, Purdue, and ETH Zurich, among others. Labs & Teams: While no single lab name is provided, her affiliations with VisLab (Prof. Qu) and CORE (Collaborative and Robotic Engineering) at HKUST suggest multi-disciplinary research environments that blend visualization, robotics, and social computing expertise.
