Graduate Fellow
I’m a PhD student at UBC Computer Science, supervised by Karon MacLean. I develop physical, multi-player games played through small, remotely-connected robot “swarms”, with the goal of promoting healthy online social interactions. In my undergraduate degree, I majored in robotics engineering at the University of Toronto; as an intern at MDA, I developed software for vision systems to be deployed on the International Space Station’s Canadarm. Now, my research draws on my own experience building and maintaining social connections through video games, sports, and martial arts. I’m interested in the physical, relational dynamics that make these kinds of activities feel uniquely fulfilling to me and others, in a way that unstructured “socializing” may not. My hope is to capture that essence in online games so that remote interactions can feel more meaningful.