About

Jamy Li is a prominent human-robot interaction researcher whose work spans social robotics, robot-mediated communication, and assistive technology. Best known for her landmark 2015 survey on physical presence in robotic and virtual agents (619 citations), Li has systematically explored how the embodiment and physical form of robots shape human perception, learning, and social engagement. Her research demonstrates that the physical presence of robots confers measurable advantages over telepresent and virtual alternatives—a finding with wide-ranging implications for educational and therapeutic applications. Li has made significant contributions to socially assistive robotics, including pioneering work using DragonBot to teach nutrition to first-grade children (124 citations) and designing robot-based interventions for autistic children and young adults experiencing depression. Her investigations into nonverbal robot communication—covering head movements, locomotion, dominance signaling, and gaze behaviors—have helped establish foundational principles for expressive robot design. Her 2015 study on social robots as video lecturers (175 citations) further illustrates her influence on technology-enhanced learning environments. Across her body of work, Li bridges behavioral science and robotics engineering, consistently prioritizing diverse and vulnerable populations, making her research both scientifically rigorous and deeply human-centered.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

11
H-Index
22
Papers
1,242
Total Citations
56
Avg Citations/Paper
🏆 Most Cited Paper
The benefit of being physically present: A survey of experimental works comparing copresent robots, telepresent robots and virtual agents
619 citations · 2015
📈 Most Prolific Year: 2020 (5 Papers)
🤝 Key Collaborators: 82
🏛 Institutions: Stanford University, Center for Health Design, University of Toronto, University of Twente, Toronto Metropolitan University

Top Papers

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
    A Simple Nod of the Head
    36 citations · 2017
  7. 7
  8. 8
  9. 9
  10. 10

Key Collaborators

Contact & Links

Available for collaboration
Content generated · 13 days ago