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About

Pedro A. Santos is a researcher specializing in social robotics, human-robot interaction, and affective computing, with a particular focus on the intersection of persuasion and autonomous agent design. His work has made significant contributions to understanding how social robots can function as persuasive agents, drawing on social power theories to explore strategies such as reward, coercion, and expert authority. His most-cited paper, "The Power to Persuade" (2019, 25 citations), established a foundational framework for examining social power dynamics in human-robot interaction, while subsequent studies systematically investigated specific persuasive mechanisms across repeated interactions and varied participant conditions. Santos has also contributed meaningfully to the development of accessible tools for creating socio-emotional agents. His work on the FAtiMA Toolkit (2022, 20 citations) builds upon over a decade of affective agent research, offering developers a practical platform for designing intelligent virtual agents and social robots capable of nuanced emotional behavior. Originally rooted in anti-bullying applications for children, the toolkit reflects Santos's broader commitment to socially impactful technology. With cumulative citations across multiple publications and a consistent research trajectory, Santos represents a growing voice in designing robots that can meaningfully and ethically influence human behavior.