Bill Smart is a roboticist who is interested in how robots and people can work together effectively and efficiently. A computer scientist by training, he is currently an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Oregon State University. He holds a Ph.D. and Sc.M. in Computer Science from Brown University, an M.Sc. in Intelligent Robotics from the University of Edinburgh, and a B.Sc. (hons) in Computer Science from the University of Dundee. His research interests span the areas of human-robot interaction, machine learning, technology and the arts, and brain-computer interfaces.

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Leila Takayama is a senior researcher at Google[x], a Google lab that aims for moonshots. She is also a Young Global Leader and Global Agenda Council Members for the area of robotics and smart devices. In 2012, she was named a TR35 winner (Technology Review’s Top 35 innovators under 35) and one of the 100 most creative people in business by Fast Company.

Prior to joining Google[x], Leila was a research scientist and area manager for human-robot interaction at Willow Garage. With a background in Cognitive Science, Psychology, and Human-Computer Interaction, she examines human encounters with new technologies. Dr. Takayama completed her PhD in Communication at Stanford University in June 2008, advised by Professor Clifford Nass. She also holds a PhD minor in Psychology from Stanford, MA in Communication from Stanford, and BAs in Psychology and Cognitive Science from UC Berkeley (2003). During her graduate studies, she was a research assistant in the User Interface Research (UIR) group at Palo Alto Research Center (PARC).

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Holly Yanco is a Professor of Computer Science at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, where she founded and directs the Robotics Laboratory.  She is also the Director of the New England Robotics Validation and Experimentation (NERVE) Center.  Her research addresses the design and evaluation of human-robot interaction, from autonomy levels to interaction design, in application domains ranging from assistive technology to search and rescue.

Yanco’s research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, including a Career Award, the Army Research Office, DARPA, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology.  She is a Senior Member of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI). Yanco is currently co-chair of the Steering Committee of the ACM/IEEE Human-Robot Interaction Conference and Journal and served on the Executive Council of AAAI from 2006-2009.  Yanco has a PhD and MS in Computer Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and a BA in Computer Science and Philosophy from Wellesley College.

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