Kyveli Kompatsiari

About

Kyveli Kompatsiari is a cognitive neuroscientist and human-robot interaction researcher whose work sits at the fascinating intersection of social cognition, gaze behavior, and robotics. Her research centers on understanding the neural and behavioral mechanisms underlying joint attention and eye contact, with a pioneering focus on using humanoid robots as controlled experimental tools to study these fundamentally human phenomena. Kompatsiari's most significant contributions involve demonstrating how eye contact — even with a robot — profoundly shapes human cognition and behavior. Her widely cited 2019 work on gaze cueing (79 citations) and HRI engagement (85 citations) established that real-time eye contact meaningfully modulates attentional orienting, while her 2021 EEG studies revealed that mutual gaze with a humanoid robot alters oscillatory brain activity and delays decision-making. These findings bridged experimental psychology and robotics in genuinely novel ways. With over 520 cumulative citations, her research has reshaped how scientists design social cognition experiments, advocating for neuroscientifically grounded, ecologically valid paradigms. Her more recent work on "artificial scaffolding" extends these insights toward therapeutic and developmental applications, suggesting that robot technology could actively support the acquisition of social cognitive skills in vulnerable populations.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

Top Papers

1. 1
   Examining joint attention with the use of humanoid robots-A new approach to study fundamental mechanisms of social cognition

   95 citations · 2019
2. 2
   It’s in the Eyes: The Engaging Role of Eye Contact in HRI

   85 citations · 2019
3. 3
   On the role of eye contact in gaze cueing

   79 citations · 2018
4. 4
   Mutual gaze with a robot affects human neural activity and delays decision-making processes

   50 citations · 2021
5. 5
   The Importance of Mutual Gaze in Human-Robot Interaction

   46 citations · 2017
6. 6
   Measuring engagement elicited by eye contact in Human-Robot Interaction

   46 citations · 2019
7. 7
   Eye contact during joint attention with a humanoid robot modulates oscillatory brain activity

   41 citations · 2021
8. 8
   Neuroscientifically-Grounded Research for Improved Human-Robot Interaction

   31 citations · 2018
9. 9
   To follow or not to follow your gaze: The interplay between strategic control and the eye contact effect on gaze-induced attention orienting.

   25 citations · 2021
10. 10
    Artificial scaffolding: Augmenting social cognition by means of robot technology

    24 citations · 2023

Key Collaborators

Contact & Links