Gabriella K. Guerra

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About

Gabriella K. Guerra is a researcher at the forefront of socially assistive robotics, with a particular focus on aging, dementia care, and human-centered technology design. Her work centers on understanding how older adults and people living with dementia perceive, emotionally connect with, and ultimately adopt social robots as tools for cognitive support and companionship. Guerra's most significant contributions lie in identifying and addressing the barriers that limit social robot adoption among older populations. Her highly cited 2022 and 2023 studies — each garnering 30 citations — reveal how emotional alignment and stigma profoundly shape user attitudes toward social robots, offering critical insights that challenge purely technology-driven design approaches. By centering the voices of end-users, she has helped reframe how researchers and developers think about human-robot interaction in care contexts. More recently, Guerra has extended her influence into the policy arena. Her 2025 work advocates for incorporating aging and dementia communities directly into the policymaking process surrounding social robotics — a timely and underrepresented concern. Across her portfolio, Guerra stands out for her commitment to participatory, user-centered methodology, making her an emerging and influential voice in the ethical and practical deployment of assistive technologies for vulnerable populations.