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Group Members
Our members are people with expertise in areas of robotics, artificial intelligence, computer science, mathematics, biology, and engineering, and students heading that way.
Academic staff
Prof. Farshid Amirabdollahian
Professor (Human-Robot Interaction)
Contact information
f.amirabdollahian2@herts.ac.uk
Research Profile
Personal Profile
Robot House, Kaspar
Research interests
Rehabilitation Robotics, Assistive Robotics, Technology to Support Ageing and Wellbeing, Safety of Robots, Ethical Robotics, Haptic Feedback, Physiological Sensing and Machine Learning, Agricultural Robotics, Robots for Education
I am a professor of Human-Robot Interaction at the School of Engineering and Computer Science, the University of Hertfordshire. I am currently director of the Robotics Research Group but also I direct Robot House and Kaspar projects.
I am the University Theme Champion in Information and Security. I coordinated and completed the Accompany and SCRIPT projects funded by the framework 7 programme of the European Community.
My research is focused on human-robot interaction and is applied in the context of rehabilitation, assistive technology and more recently, over the past 7 years, takes an interest on deep learning and machine learning approaches for HRI.
Recent Projects
Hospital@home, SWAG, EMERGENCE, AutoQGen, Kaspar and language, Kaspar Explains, CuPick, Robot House 2.0
Dr Patrick Holthaus
Reader (Interactive Assistive Technology)
Contact information
p.holthaus@herts.ac.uk
Research Profile
Personal Website
Robot House
Research interests
Social robotics: nonverbal interactive signals; social credibility and trust in assistive and companion robots; interaction architectures and behaviour coordination; systems integration in heterogeneous environments
As the manager of Robot House, Patrick coordinates all research activities inside the house, supports internal and external collaborators in using the facilities, and advises them while conducting research. At the same time, he maintains the robots and all the other interactive technology in the house. Patrick has extensive expertise in social human-robot interaction and experimentation and is highly skilled with a large array of robotic and sensing technologies.
He is also a supervisor of several PhD students and a Visiting Lecturer at the School of Physics, Engineering and Computer Science, teaching advanced research topics in computer science and other level 7 modules.
Patrick is currently a CoI of the UKRI TAS hub's pump priming project Kaspar explains and an advisory board member of the Norwegian project Human Interactive Robotics in Healthcare (HIRo). He was also a CoI of the AAIP funded feasibility project Assuring safety and social credibility. Previously, he been a postdoctoral researcher in the Robot House 2.0 project, an EPSRC strategic equipment grant, and in the Cognitive Service Robotics Apartment, a large-scale project within the DFG-funded excellence cluster CITEC where he was a member of the Cognitive Systems Engineering group.
Recent Projects
UK-HRI, Hospital@home, SWAG, FLUIDITY, EMERGENCE, EMBOA, Kaspar Explains, Robot House 2.0, SocCred
Dr Gabriella Lakatos
Reader (Social and Etho-Robotics)
Contact information
Research interests
Human-Robot Interactions, Social and Assistive Robotics, Acceptable and believable robotic behaviour and interactions, Etho-Robotics
Gabriella is a Reader at the School of Physics, Engineering and Computer Science of the University of Hertfordshire. She completed her PhD in the field of Ethology analyzing Human-Dog Interactions, after which she transferred her skills to the field of human-robot interactions. Gabriella has extensive experience in the fields of human-robot interactions and robot-assisted therapy for children with autism. She participated in several large-scale European projects such as LIREC and BabyRobot, as well as in the EPSRC funded project Trustworthy Robotic Assistants. More recently, she has also been involved as a CoI of the UKRI TAS hub's pump priming round one project Kaspar explains, the EPSRC Network+ project EMERGENCE, the EU ERASMUS+ EMBOA project, and the Kaspar for Speech and Language Therapy project funded by the Baily Thomas Charitable Fund.
Recent Projects
UK-HRI, Hospital@home, SWAG, EMERGENCE, EMBOA, Kaspar and language, Kaspar Explains
Dr Catherine Menon
Principal Lecturer
Contact information
Research interests
ethics of AI; safety, ethics and trust in critical systems; ethical hazard analysis of robots
Dr Catherine Menon is a principal lecturer within the robotics research group. Her research focuses on the intersection between ethics and safety in public-facing autonomous systems. She was PI on the AAIP funded feasibility project Assuring safety and social credibility and is a Co-I on the Robotics Standard Expert Review project, funded by the Emergence network She is a member of the BSI AMT/10 and AMT/10/1 Committees, providing UK input into ISO/TC 299 (standardisation in robotics) and BS 8611 (ethical design and application of robotic devices).
Dr Luke Wood
Principal Lecturer (Artificial Intelligence and Robotics)
Contact information
Research interests
3D printing, Human-Robot Interaction (HRI), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Rehabilitation Robotics, Robots in Therapy and Education, Assistive Robotics, Social Robotics.
Recent Projects
Dr Maryam Banitalebi Dehkordi
Senior Lecturer (Robotics and AI)
Contact information
Research interests
Human-Robot Interaction, Explainable Robotics, Assistive Robotics, and the development of autonomous systems for robotic platforms
I am Dr. Maryam Banitalebi Dehkordi, a Senior Lecturer in Robotics and AI at the University of Hertfordshire.
I received a master’s degree in Mechatronics and Automatic Control Engineering from University Technology Malaysia, in 2009, and a Ph.D. in Perceptual Robotics - Innovative Technologies from Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna of Pisa, Italy in 2014. I have extensive experience in robotics, including assistive robots, mobile robots, agricultural robots, Industrial robots, humanoid robots, parallel manipulators, navigation, and outdoor autonomous vehicles.
In the past, I have worked on various projects such as DOC (Dispositivo di Orientamento Ciechi) in Italy, and the Innovate UK-funded project AgriRobot (an Autonomous agricultural robot system for precision spraying) in industry in the UK. Before joining the University of Hertfordshire, I pursued my career at various institutes and industries including University Technology Malaysia, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna in Italy, the Technical University of Munich and NavVis GmbH in Germany, as well as Innova Integra Limited, Research Centre in AI, Robotics and Human-Machine Systems (IROHMS) at Cardiff University and University of West London in the UK.
Dr Frank Förster
Senior Lecturer
Contact information
Research interests
human-robot interaction, robotic language acquisition, pragmatics, spoken dialogue systems, human-centric AI
Recent Projects
Dr Kheng Lee Koay
Senior Lecturer (Scientific Manager of Robot House)
Contact information
Research interests
human-robot interaction, social robotics, robotic home companions, agent migration and mobile robotics
Recent Projects
Sílvia Moros Español
Senior Lecturer
Contact information
Research interests
Human-Robot Interaction, Social Robotics, Assistive Robotics
Sílvia is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Hertfordshire. She received an Industrial Engineering degree at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC), a PAIR Master degree in Automated Production and Robotics at the Fundació CIM - UPC and a Robotics and Automation Master degree at the Universidad Carlos III in Madrid. She also received a Psychology degree at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC). She was previously part of the now finished EU Horizon2020 BabyRobot project. Her research interests include social robotics, Human-Robot Interaction and design of robotic behaviours for children with autism.
Recent Projects
Dr Ben Robins
Visiting Senior Research Fellow
Contact information
Research interests
Human Robot Interaction (HRI) with specific interest in the application of robotic systems in rehabilitation, therapy and education; Autism therapy; Dance Movement Therapy
Recent Projects
Dr Rishi Ruttun
Senior Lecturer (Computer Science)
Contact information
Research interests
Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Human-Centred Computing (HCC), Web-based Systems, Multimedia, Individual Differences, Usability and User Experience (UX), Accessible and Inclusive Design, Design and Evaluation of User-Centred Applications for Education, Healthcare, and Banking.
Dr Rishi Ruttun is a Senior Lecturer in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and Human-Centred Computing (HCC) at the University of Hertfordshire. His research and teaching focus on the design, development, and evaluation of user-centred interactive systems, particularly within web-based environments. He investigates how individual differences, including cognitive styles, domain knowledge, age, and disabilities, influence user interaction with digital technologies.
His research also explores the use of multimedia and instructional aids—including speech, non-speech audio, visual guidance, and interactive media—to enhance accessibility, user engagement, learning, and task performance. In addition, he examines interface usability, user disorientation, navigation behaviour, and the overall user experience of interactive systems.
More broadly, his work focuses on designing and evaluating usable, accessible, and inclusive digital applications across education, healthcare, and banking.
Within the Robotics Group, he contributes expertise in human-centred design, usability, accessibility, and user experience, supporting the development and evaluation of intelligent interactive and robotic systems.
Dr Abolfazl Zaraki
Senior Lecturer (Robotics)
Contact information
Research interests
Mutual behaviour adaptation in Human-robot Interactions, Contextual reasoning, Development of Cognitive Systems for Autonomous robots, Social Robotics
Dr Abolfazl Zaraki is Senior Lecturer in Robotics at the Computer Science department of the University of Hertfordshire. Before joining UH, he was a lecturer at the School of Engineering and a member of the Research Centre in AI, Robotics and Human-Machine Systems (IROHMS) at Cardiff University, Cardiff. He was the Co-chair of the Human-Like Artificial Intelligence (AI) working group and a member of the IROHMS leadership team.
He received a master's degree in mechatronics and automatic control engineering from University Technology Malaysia, Malaysia, in 2010, and a PhD degree in automatic robotic and bioengineering from the University of Pisa, Italy, in 2014. Between 2014 and 2019, he worked as Research Fellow/Senior Research Fellow at different research institutions in Italy and the UK.
In the past, Abolfazl worked on European projects EASEL (Expressive Agents for Symbiotic Education and Learning), BabyRobot - NextGen Social Robotics, JAMES (Joint Action for Multimodal Embodied Social Systems) and an Innovate UK funded project Piglet - Snake Robot Solution for Inspection in collaboration with industry.
Abolfazl's research interests include developing autonomous systems for social and industrial robotic platforms, trusted autonomy, closed-loop Human-Robot Interaction studies, and brain-computer interface (BCI) for research and assistive applications.
Dr Yasir Iqbal
Lecturer (Extended Reality (XR), Human-Computer Interaction, and Immersive Systems)
Contact information
Research interests
Extended Reality (XR), Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), intelligent user-centred immersive systems, technology assessment, viewpoint selection, navigation in XR, human perception and presence, AI for immersive systems, healthcare technologies, education, training, and digital twins.
Dr Yasir Iqbal is a Lecturer in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Hertfordshire. Prior to this role, he worked as a Research Fellow in the Department of Engineering, collaborating on immersive healthcare technologies with the NHS. His research focuses on designing intelligent, user-centred immersive systems by combining XR, AI, and HCI, with applications in healthcare, education, robotics, training, and digital twins. He is also actively involved in collaborative research projects and developing externally funded research proposals.
Pranjal Sharma
Lecturer
Contact information
Research interests
Human-Robot Interaction, Social Robotics, Artificial Intelligence
Dr Vignesh Velmurugan
Lecturer (Robotics Engineering)
Contact information
Research interests
Rehabilitation robotics, Motor learning, Human-robot interaction in assistive and social robotics, Educational robotic companions, Humanoid robots, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
Dr Vignesh Velmurugan is a Lecturer in Robotics Engineering at the University of Hertfordshire. Prior to this, he worked as a post-doctoral research fellow within the Kaspar project, involving the development of robotic companions for educational purposes. He earned his PhD from the University of Hertfordshire, concentrating on rehabilitation robotics for stroke survivors, and continues to explore this area of study. Additionally, he holds master's degrees in robotics from Ecole Centrale de Nantes and Warsaw University of Technology.
Research staff
Dr Shadiya Alingal Meethal
Research Fellow (Human-Robot Interaction)
Contact information
Research interests
Signal Processing, Machine learning, Robotic Rehabilitation
Recent Projects
Dr Mohamad Reza Shahabian Alashti
Research Fellow (Robotics and Deep Learning)
Contact information
Research interests
Robotics, Mechatronics, Human-Robot Interaction, Machine Learning, Deep Learning, Machine Vision, Human Activity Recognition
Dr. Mohamad Reza Shahabian Alashti is currently a postdoctoral research fellow, focusing on the SWAG project, a multidisciplinary initiative in soft robotics dedicated to developing lower limb exosuits. He earned his PhD from the University of Hertfordshire, specializing in Human Activity Recognition in Ambient Assisted Living Scenarios, a field he continues to explore. In addition, he holds a master's degree in Mechatronics Engineering from Qazvin Azad University (QIAU) and was an active member of the At Home Research Laboratory at the SYNTECH Technology and Innovation Center.
Recent Projects
Dr Dimitra Tsakona
Research Fellow (Educational Robotics)
Contact information
Research interests
Assistive Robotics, Educational Robot Companions, Human-Robot Interaction (HRI), Non-verbal communication, Adaptive behavioural architectures, Human-in-the-loop systems, Cognitive Systems, Trust in HRI
Dr. Dimitra Tsakona is a Research Fellow in Educational Robotics at the University of Hertfordshire. Dimitra studied Mechanical Engineering (MEng) at the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA), specialising in control systems and conducting research in space robotics, before completing a PhD in Robotics at Imperial College London's Personal Robotics Laboratory. Dimitra's doctoral research focused on trust in human-robot interaction within high-vulnerability assistive settings. The broader research vision is to develop disability-centred robotic systems that support individuals throughout long-term, dynamic real-world use and build collaborative human-robot relationships that preserve personal agency.
Dr Baobing Zhang
Research Fellow (Robotics and Deep Learning)
Contact information
Research interests
Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Deep Learning, Machine Vision, Bayesian Inference
Dr. Baobing Zhang is currently a postdoctoral research fellow, focusing on the Hospital@Home project, The “Hospital@Home” initiative virtualizes ward-level care at home to tackle chronic staff shortages and healthcare inequalities. Leveraging UH’s Robot House infrastructure and lessons from the €4.9 M ACCOMPANY ambient living project, it aims to deploy standardized, scalable assisted‑living scenarios directly into elderly people’s homes or residential care settings.He earned his PhD from the Brunel University London, specializing in Machine Learning, deep learning, image processing, Bayesian Inference, a field he continues to explore. In addition, he holds a master's degree in Mathematics from Queem Mary of London.
Recent Projects
Professional staff
Callium Dawes
Senior Technical Officer (Robotics Technician)
Contact information
Research interests
CAD, 3D Printing, Mobile Robotics, Mechatronics, Robotic Design, Electrical Engineering, Computer Systems Engineering
Research students
Ali Fallahi
Contact information
Research interests
Human Robot Interaction (HRI), Social and Assistive Robotics, Acceptable and Believable Robotic Behaviour and Interactions, Machine Learning
Ali is a PhD student at the School of Physics, Engineering and Computer Science of the University of Hertfordshire. His research focuses on human-robot interaction, with the objective of trust between robots and humans.
Avoiding over-trust and lack of trust are noteworthy challenges in HRI. There are various aspects which should be considered to balance the level of trust, and that is what makes this field significantly special and impressive.
Gayathri Girija Devi Radhakrishnan
Ph.D. Student
Contact information
Research interests
Robotics, Human-Robot Interaction, Social Robotics
Sofia Gioumatzidou
Ph.D. Student
Contact information
Research interests
Human-Robot Interaction, Robotics
Sehrish Rafique
Ph.D. Student
Contact information
Research interests
Human-Robot Interaction, Ambient Assisted Living, Smart Home Technologies, AI for Healthcare
Sehrish is a PhD researcher, focusing on AI-driven detection of people, objects, and activities to support independent living and home healthcare.
Past academics
Dr Hooman SamaniDr Prapa Rattadilok
Dr Diego R. Faria
Past research students
Dr Khashayar Ghamati GhamsariDr Lewis Riches
Dr Vignesh Velmurugan
Dr Shadiya Alingal Meethal
Dr Mubashir Ahmad
Dr Mohammad Hossein Bamorovat Abadi
Alex Tilson
The past members sections only includes alumni of the new robotics research group. To see alumni of the adaptive systems research group, please visit their website.