I’m dreaming of compassionate social robots that assist us in overcoming societal challenges."
program in Human-Technology Interaction offered the chance to combine all my interests in one degree. My most interesting project so far is my final thesis project. I investigated how well robots can come across as empathetic by changing their facial expressions, vocal characteristics and body movements. I built a cool experimental setup and enjoyed putting all the skills I learned over the years into practice for this study. And who doesn’t want to work with a cool robot, right? And it’s not just fun; my findings help us use empathy to improve the interaction between humans and robots.
The TU/e Campus is a really special place – a big, quiet patch of green that makes you feel at home. As a student, you get a lot of freedom, with free electives and the opportunity to earn a broad degree while already specializing in an area you like. The vibrant city of Eindhoven has it all: a big shopping heart, exhilarating nightlife, and a booming offer of tech companies waiting to embrace you. During my master’s degree I realized my passion lies in academia, so I’m now doing a PhD on developing AI technologies to improve the social life of people with dementia.