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About

Anouk Neerincx is a prominent researcher specializing in human-robot interaction (HRI), socially assistive robotics, and the application of social robots in child healthcare settings. Her work sits at a compelling intersection of computer science, psychology, and healthcare, exploring how robots can meaningfully support vulnerable populations, particularly children managing chronic conditions like diabetes or navigating stressful medical experiences such as vaccinations. Neerincx's most influential contributions include cross-cultural studies examining how Italian and Dutch children engage with healthcare robots (cited 17 and 12 times respectively), and investigations into trust dynamics in human-robot collaboration, including how blame attribution shapes perceptions of robot partners (19 citations). Her co-design research ensures that robot behaviors are shaped by the real-world needs of children, families, and care professionals, reflecting a deeply human-centered approach to technology development. She has also made methodological contributions to the HRI field itself, with her 2022 paper on best practices for conducting HRI studies accumulating 24 citations and serving as a valuable resource for emerging researchers navigating this complex, multidisciplinary domain. Through her exploration of self-disclosure, emotional gesturing, and robot identity, Neerincx continues to advance our understanding of how robots can be designed as trustworthy, culturally sensitive companions in healthcare environments.