Papers
9
Total Citations
292
H-Index
6
About
Cristina Mele is a leading scholar at the intersection of service innovation, emerging technologies, and human well-being. Her research primarily explores how artificial intelligence, robotics, and cognitive assistants reshape value co-creation, particularly in healthcare and education. Mele’s most influential work, “Mitigating loneliness with companion robots in the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond” (206 citations), develops an integrative framework addressing the global loneliness crisis through robotic companionship. She further advances understanding of human-robot collaboration through her SAR model of robot acceptance/rejection and her boundary work framework examining cognitive assistants as mediators in value co-creation practices. Her recent studies investigate how AI enhances human learning abilities, how companion robots support dementia care, and how voice-based educational robots boost student engagement. Mele’s work uniquely combines theoretical depth with practical relevance, offering actionable insights for designing service systems that leverage smart technologies while prioritizing human experience. Her contributions have significant implications for aging populations, pandemic response, and sustainable market shaping through digital leadership.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
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- 4Smart Technologies in Service Provision and Experience11 citations · 2022
- 5Understanding robot acceptance/rejection: the SAR model9 citations · 2020
- 6A system and learning perspective on human–robot collaboration7 citations · 2024
- 7Affect-Based Well-Being in Caring Practices with Companion Robots4 citations · 2025
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- 9Digital leadership and sustainable market shaping1 citations · 2025