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About

Yasaman S. Sefidgar is a human-robot interaction (HRI) researcher whose work sits at the intersection of social robotics, therapeutic computing, and end-user programming. She is best known for her pioneering investigations into touch-mediated interactions between humans and robots, particularly in therapeutic contexts. Her highly cited 2015 paper on touch-centered calming interactions with social robots (112 citations) established foundational design principles for robots as therapeutic companions, building on earlier work exploring affective touch as a treatment medium for childhood anxiety disorders. This line of inquiry reflects her deep commitment to making robotics meaningful in personal care and mental health settings. Sefidgar has also made significant contributions to democratizing robot programming through her situated tangible robot programming paradigm, introduced in 2017 (32 citations) and extended through the RobotIST system (2018). These works enable non-programmers to intuitively instruct robots by placing physical blocks within a robot's workspace, substantially lowering the barrier to deploying robots in industry and everyday environments. Her research on end-user programming of manipulator robots further broadens this vision. Across her body of work, Sefidgar demonstrates a consistent drive to make robots more accessible, humane, and genuinely beneficial to diverse populations.