I am a Ph.D. candidate in Electrical and Computer Engineering at Oakland University, Michigan. I work as a graduate Research Assistant under Prof. Geoffrey Louie in the IRLĀ²: In Real-Life Intelligent Robotics Laboratory.
I am currently working on the context-awareness and emotional intelligence in social human-robot interaction (HRI), integrating social science with robot learning and affective computing. I have over 10 years of experience in robotics, identifying myself as a generalist by accomplishing projects in humanoid whole-body imitation, manipulation, mobile robot navigation, and autonomous vehicles.
Outside of work, I enjoy playing basketball, hiking, helping my wife with her bakery, and playing the Piano/Keyboard as well as Tar/Setar (traditional Persian instruments).
Ph.D. Candidate in Electrical and Computer Engineering
Oakland University (MI-USA)
M.Sc. Mechatronics Engineering
Azad University of Qazvin (Iran)
B.Sc. Robotics Engineering
Hamedan University of Technology (Iran)
“Social Robots for Social Justice” is my slogan.
I strive to uncover the complexities of Social HRI to create reliable and transparent behavior models for robots and autonomous agents. I believe that true human connection with artificial agents is only possible when they possess a degree of human-like emotional intelligence. My dissertation focuses on developing emotionally context-aware verbal and nonverbal behavior models for social robots and autonomous agents to enhance empathy, engagement, and efficacy in human-agent interactions.
My research involves designing and conducting user studies to explore the nuances and dynamics of both group and one-on-one interactions, employing quantitative and qualitative analyses of objective and subjective measurements derived from behavioral observations and multimodal sensory signals. Grounded in affective and cognitive theories, I leverage multimodal AI approaches to model context, user affective states, and cognitive processes,enabling the generation of emotionally context-aware agent behaviors for real-world social HRI applications.
My work has been applied to social HRI applications in autism therapy, physical therapy, and education, leading to publications in top-tier venues such as ICRA, IROS, and RO-MAN. Ultimately, I hope my efforts advance social justice by making high-quality social services, like healthcare and education, more accessible to underrepresented communities.
Please reach out to collaborate š