Pooja Vegesna

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About

Pooja Vegesna is a rising scholar at the intersection of human-computer interaction, educational technology, and child development. Her research focuses on designing and evaluating socially intelligent robotic systems to support children’s literacy and emotional well-being. In her most cited work, “Robotic reading companions can mitigate oral reading anxiety in children” (2025), Vegesna demonstrates how non-judgmental, interactive robots can serve as safe reading partners, significantly reducing the anxiety that often inhibits oral reading fluency—a critical yet stressful component of literacy development. This innovative approach addresses a long-standing educational challenge: the paradox that the best practice for reading fluency (reading aloud) is also a primary source of performance anxiety for many children. By leveraging robotic companionship, her work offers a scalable, evidence-based intervention that could transform classroom practices and home learning environments. With her research already garnering attention and citations, Vegesna is establishing herself as a key voice in the growing field of child-robot interaction, where her contributions promise to make literacy education more accessible, supportive, and effective for young learners.