Nicole Abaid
New York University, SUNY Polytechnic Institute, Virginia Tech
Papers
13
Total Citations
381
H-Index
8
About
Nicole Abaid is a pioneering researcher at the intersection of bioinspired robotics, animal behavior, and engineering education. Her work centers on understanding and influencing collective behavior in animal groups—particularly fish—through biomimetic robotic agents. In her landmark studies, Abaid demonstrated that zebrafish respond differentially to robotic fish based on design features like aspect ratio, tail beat frequency, and color, with her foundational 2012 paper garnering over 100 citations. She co-authored a highly influential 2014 paper introducing machine learning techniques to classify collective behavior patterns across animal species, reshaping how researchers analyze group dynamics. Abaid’s contributions extend to ethorobotics, where she developed low-cost robotic fish for both behavioral experiments and STEM outreach, including a Brooklyn-based program that has attracted K-12 students to engineering careers. Her recent work on human-robot search and rescue, integrating anticipatory planning and dynamic lost person models, shows her expanding impact into autonomous systems. With over 375 total citations and a portfolio spanning animal-robot interaction, collective behavior, and educational robotics, Abaid stands out for bridging fundamental biological questions with practical engineering solutions.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
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- 3Collective behaviour across animal species57 citations · 2014
- 4Fish–Robot Interactions: Robot Fish in Animal Behavioral Studies37 citations · 2015
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- 8Controlling a robotic fish with a smart phone19 citations · 2013
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