Hello there!

I’m a research scientist in the human-robot interaction field, working on the ethical design of social robots. Broadly, I’m interested in the design, ethics, user perceptions and experiences, and socio-technical perspectives of human-AI and human-robot interaction. My research has been featured in various publications, including the BBC.

Currently, I’m undertaking conducting postdoctoral research and am a Teaching Fellow the University of Cambridge. I just finished my PhD at Cambridge. Previously, I was a visiting student at the MIT Media Lab, and worked professionally as a designer and artist. I write sci-fi as M. W. Axelsson. I’m also a co-founder and artist at Ekho Collective. Our work won the prestigious international FEDORA Digital Prize.

Recent Updates

Oct 22, 2025

AI Ethics and Society conference publication

Presenting at the AI Ethics and Society conference! Check out our publication on robot ethics.

Jul 30, 2025

PhDone!? The Dr. is In

I’m officially a Doctor of Philosophy! After 5 years and loads of hard work, here we are! Can hardly believe it. My thesis is available here.

Jul 25, 2025

Podcast Interview on Robot Design with Mateus Bolson Ruzzarin

Happy to have appeared on Mateus Bolson Ruzzarin’s podcast interviewing researchers! Check it out for talk about robot design, robots for wellbeing, and Dungeons and Dragons (yes, really).

Recent Projects

image from Robot Ethics

Robot Ethics

My postdoctoral research investigates robot ethics, from design, user advocacy, and socio-technical perspectives. It examines social robots for well-being and companionship, and the ethical speculative design of robot futures.
image from Robotic Mental Well-being Coaches

Robotic Mental Well-being Coaches

My PhD research investigates how robots could be ethically designed and deployed to be accessible tools to promote users’ mental well-being.
image from Design Workshops for Social Robots

Design Workshops for Social Robots

I lead design workshops for social robots with companies and academics. These workshops teach teams how to (ethically) co-design of social robots, and how to use the Social Robot Co-Design Canvases.