Professor Damith Herath is the Founder and director of the Collaborative Robotics Lab (CRL). His work explores how robots and humans can collaborate, with an emphasis on the intersection of engineering, psychology, and the arts. His interdisciplinary approach actively seeks insights across diverse fields, promoting innovation and collaboration that transcends traditional disciplinary boundaries. From a…

Associate Professor Janie Busby Grant is the Psychology Research Lead at CRL, where her work integrates human-robot interaction and artificial intelligence with a foundation in cognitive psychology and research design. With a strong emphasis on practical applications, Janie brings a reconciliatory approach to interdisciplinary research, particularly in exploring factors influencing human perception of, and engagement…

Professor Dharmendra Sharma AM PhD, FACS, FSPCS, SMIEEE, CompIEAust, GAICD is a distinguished academic and researcher in Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence, with over 45 years of experience. He currently leads the AI & Robotics Capability at UC. His research focuses on AI, distributed AI and multi-agent systems, machine learning, with applications in health, education,…

Maleen Jayasuriya is a Lecturer in Robotics at the University of Canberra’s Faculty of Science and Engineering with a research focus on human-robot interaction and explainable AI (XAI) in robotics. Maleen holds a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from Sri Lanka and a PhD from the University of Technology Sydney, where his research…

Dr. Min Wang is a Lecturer in AI at University of Canberra and an Adjunct Lecturer at University of New South Wales (UNSW). She is a researcher in Computational Intelligence and Privacy and Security, with nine years of research experience in these fields. She holds a PhD in Computer Science from UNSW, and worked as…

Dimity is a Senior Lecturer in the Discipline of Psychology, Faculty of Health, at the University of Canberra. She is the Course Convener for the Bachelor of Science in Psychology (Honours) program. Dr Crisp also has extensive experience as a Research Trial Manager having coordinated large scale randomised controlled trials in different areas of community…

Dr Xing Wang is currently a Lecturer in Robotics Engineering at the University of Canberra, where his research focuses on agricultural robotics, soft robotics, and the integration of robotic manipulation with machine learning-based perception systems. Prior to this role, Dr Wang was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at CSIRO Robotics, Data61 (2022 – 2024), where he…

Our long-servering IT Manager who played a key role in taking our robotics activities from a discarded old tutorial room to the Lab we have today. His background is that of infrastructure concentrating on our servers, networks, and workstations. Jason regularly plays the role of logistics guy, do’er of random things, or just an open…

Dr. Aya Hussein is a Lecturer in AI and Machine Learning at the University of Canberra. She is an Associate Editor for IEEE Transactions on AI, a member of the GenAI TaskForce at the University of Canberra, an organiser of a few research events at flagship conferences on AI and robotics, and a reviewer for…

Carlos Kuhn is a distinguished physicist and researcher with a profound expertise in Generative AI and Cognitive AI. He holds a Bachelor’s in Physics, a Master’s in Physics, and a PhD in Theoretical Quantum Physics from the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Brazil. His doctoral research on the Exactly Solvable Model for…

Gudur Raghavendra Reddy (Raghu) is a senior lecturer and course leader for the Bachelor of Interaction Design at the University of Canberra’s School of Design. He holds a PhD in Design from Queensland University of Technology, a master’s in visual communication from IIT Bombay, and a 5-year diploma in fine arts. Raghu’s research revolves around making…

Maryam Ghahramani received her BSc degree in electrical engineering at Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran. She did her PhD in the field of “Biometric Gait, Motion, and Risk of Fall Analysis in Older People” at University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia. She is a lecturer at the faculty of Science &Technology, University of Canberra, Canberra, Australia. Her…

Michael is an experienced robotics engineer and lab manager for the Collaborative Robotics Lab with a track record in designing, integrating, and deploying award-winning and innovative vision and data acquisition systems across robotic platforms and sensor networks in agriculture. His expertise extends to embedded design, remote sensor networks, robotics, automation, and control. He has a…

Mr. Adam Haskard is a PhD candidate at the Collaborative Robotics Lab, University of Canberra, and co-founder of Bluerydge Cybersecurity and Technology. His research focuses on the intersection of cybersecurity and autonomous systems, aiming to develop robust frameworks that enhance the safety, security, and trustworthiness of robotic systems in real-world environments. He is a previous…

Adam Lawson is a PhD student at the Collaborative Robotics Lab, University of Canberra, with a background in software engineering and applied artificial intelligence. His research focuses on mechanistic interpretability for embodied AI, particularly how internal representations in robotic decision-making systems can be analysed and influenced to improve reliability, transparency, and safety. His broader interests…

Aurora is a PhD candidate at the Collaborative Robotics Lab with a background in psychology and criminology. She has experience in VR-assisted experiments, public health-oriented research, and forensic psychology studies. Her PhD focuses on Human-Robot Interaction, with an emphasis on the expectation gap and its role in shaping user trust and robot adoption.

Buddhi Gamage is a PhD candidate in the Faculty of Science and Technology at the University of Canberra, Australia. Originally from Sri Lanka and with a background in Computer Science, his research focuses on embodied artificial intelligence, cognitive robotics, and robot learning. His current work investigates world models, representation learning, and failure-aware robotic manipulation, with…

Elane Peng is a postgraduate student focused on the computational optimization of soft robotics. Her interests lie in the design and refinement of Fin Ray gripper structures using simulation-driven methods and performance-oriented strategies. With prior research experience in human-robot interaction (HRI), she is passionate about integrating robotics and intelligent systems to develop practical, efficient robotic…

Moniesha Thilakarathna is a PhD candidate at the Collaborative Robotics Lab, University of Canberra, with a background in Mechatronic Engineering. Her research interests include Mechatronic System Design, Multi-modal Grasping Techniques, and Imitation Learning. Currently, she is focused on developing a multi-modal robotic grasping technique to classify inorganic materials found within organic waste.

Nipuni Wijesinghe is a PhD student in the Faculty of Science and Technology at the University of Canberra, with a background in computer science. My research interests are centred around the fields of embodied AI, social presence, and the modulating presence of embodied systems. Through my work, I aim to explore and enhance the interactions…

Sharni is a PhD candidate in the Discipline of Psychology, Faculty of Health, University of Canberra. Her primary research focus is on examining HRI, with a primary focus on the embodiment and physical design, interaction, contextual, and psychological variables that affect how humans represent and interact with the robotic systems they encounter. In addition to…

As a qualified Remote Pilot with a CASA license, Ravi is working on autonomous drone systems and their social implications. Currently, Ravi explores the enhancement of drone embodiment to improve human interaction while aspiring to pursue a PhD in this field.

Kalana is a PhD candidate at the Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Canberra. He has a background in Computer Science and Engineering. His research interests include robotic navigation and manipulation, human-robot interaction and LLM-based robotic planning. His current research focuses on llm based generative behaviour planning for social robots. His areas of technical…

Matthew Vestal is a PhD candidate at the University of Canberra robotics lab. His research interests include using computer vision and AI to address climate and environmental issues, with research experience in computer vision and also oceanography. His current research incorporates multimodal imaging systems to detect contaminants like plastic in industrial scale food waste.

Dr David Hinwood is an award-winning multidisciplinary researcher specialising in robot design, human-robot interaction, and machine-learning applications. He is the first PhD graduate from the University of Canberra’s Collaborative Robotics Lab with seven years of development experience in research and robotics deployments. Areas of technical experience include ROS development (C++/Python), motion planning, and data-driven techniques…

Dr James Ireland is a recent PhD graduate researching the fields of Computer Vision, Computer Graphics, and Artificial Intelligence; specifically focusing on Small Object Instance Counting, Synthetic Data Generation, Multiple View Geometry and Domain Adaptation. His thesis, entitled ‘Computer-vision based instance counting of surgical instruments’ focus on human error prevention during surgical operations by assisting…

Michael Armstrong is a figurative artist and photographer focused on conveying deep emotional expression through his work. His art explores themes such as love, loss, shame, and hope, often drawing from personal experiences, literature, and psychological symbolism. With a strong social conscience, Armstrong’s work engages with humanitarian issues, portraying the emotional depth of the human…

Squish is a four-year old English bulldog and not your average house pet. Squish, as a licensed Service Animal, has flown and travelled all over Australia, and been a guest to numerous events including every major Australian gallery, Parliament House, Government House, and even the first bulldog to attend an opera at the Sydney Opera…

Tom is a MRes student at the University of Canberra and currently located at Waseda University (Japan, Tokyo), where he work as a Research Fellow. His study aims to investigate the role of socially assistive robots and how this technology can support medical staff and caregivers