Research projects
ROBOT-BOND
While at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
The ERC Advanced Grand project ROBOT-BOND investigates human-robot bonding in various application domains (e.g., education, healthcare). My main focus is on human-robot bonding in the context of adolescents with mood disorders (e.g., depression) and mental healthcare.
As the project started in Jan. 2025 a project website is in development but a news article can be found here.
eCG Family Clinic
While at the University of Twente
The electronic Cardiovascular Genetic family clinic project is a Dutch ZonMw project that aims to facilitate genetic screening in family members of patients with hereditary heart conditions. The project’s aim is to develop a digital clinic that helps people make an informed choice about potentially undergoing predictive DNA testing. I investigated the design of the interaction with the application and virtual assistant, performed evaluation studies (focus groups, interviews), and collaborated with domain experts on content structuring.
Read more on the ZonMw website (in Dutch).
Synergia
While at the University of Twente
SYNERGIA is a 7-year Dutch NWO-funded program which aims to develop and integrate fundamental knowledge from the biological, technical, and social sciences for the next generation of sustainable agricultural systems, based on the new concept of “technology-4-ecology-based farming” (T4E-farming). In Synergia, I investigated how we could support farmer’s decisions and knowledge acquisition through technology.
Read more on the Synergia website.
RE-SAMPLE
While at Innovation Sprint
The RE-SAMPLE project is a European Horizon 2020 project focusing on REal-time data monitoring for Shared, Adaptive, Multi-domain and Personalised prediction and decision-making for Long-term Pulmonary care Ecosystems. It aims to empower patients with COPD and Complex Chronic Conditions in self-care by developing a multidisciplinary, adaptive virtual companionship programme.
In RE-SAMPLE, I led the work package on the real-world data application and virtual companionship programme, which included tasks on data collection, development of dashboards for clinicians and shared care facilities, virtual companion development, continuous end-user involvement for iterative design, and an observational cohort study (in three hospitals). In addition, I led the task on virtual companion development and was involved in the work packages on the treatment guidelines for shared decision-making and personalised interventions, and on the evaluation and integration in different healthcare systems.
Read more on the project’s website.
iHelp
While at Innovation Sprint
iHelp (EU-H2020) focused on early identification and mitigation of risks associated with pancreatic cancer using AI-based learning and decision support techniques. The project included five pilots investigating interventions ranging from lifestyle-focused prevention to support of patients undergoing cancer treatment. I led the task on delivery mechanisms (graphs, notifications, virtual coaching) for personalised healthcare and real-time feedback, which required close collaboration with technical partners and the project’s five clinical pilots.
Read more on the project’s website.
SmartWork
While at Roessingh Research and Development
The SmartWork (EU-H2020) project aimed to support active and healthy ageing at work for older office workers, through a suite of smart services, building a Worker-Centric AI System for work ability sustainability. In this project, I worked on the definition of digital interventions for health self-management in multiple domains (physical activity, sleep, nutrition, and well-being).
Read more on the project’s website.
Council of Coaches
While at Roessingh Research and Development
Council of Coaches was a three-year European Horizon 2020 research and innovation project that ran from Sep. 2017 to Sep. 2020. It aimed to develop a group of virtual coaches that each had their own personality and expertise. In the project, I led our work package on “Shared knowledge base and coaching strategies”, researched and implemented coaching content and software (also see open source projects), participated in technical meetings and set up and performed usability evaluations.
Read more about the project on Cordis. Or view the demo application.
Open source projects
The Agents United Platform
The Agents United Platform is an open-source platform that supports the development of multi-agent conversational systems. It integrates the ASAP, GRETA, DGEP and WOOL platforms.
Read more on the platform’s website.
The WOOL Dialogue Platform
WOOL is a simple, powerful open-source dialogue platform for creating virtual agent conversations.
Find it on Github.