In an effort to maintain a sustainable and fulfilling academic career, I prioritize student mentoring, teaching, and scientific inquiry when time conflicts occur.
Prospective students interested in joining my group please read the notes at the end of this page.
About
Curriculum Vitae | Google Scholar | ORCiD
My scientific work contributes to the fields of human-robot interaction (HRI), human-computer interaction (HCI), and robotics.
The research directions I am currently pursuing include:
Making robotic technology more accessible to people with diverse backgrounds.
Understanding the long-term effects of human-robot interactions in real-world settings.
Improving the quality of life for older adults using technology.
Designing effective interaction strategies for AI systems to assist people.
My research has been supported by NSF, NIH, NIST, Johns Hopkins Institute for Assured Autonomy (IAA), Applied Physics Laboratory, and Malone Center for Engineering in Healthcare.
Advisees (PhD and Postdoc)
2021–nowKaitlynn Pineda (CS PhD) | CS Department fellow 2021–nowVictor Nikhil Antony (CS PhD) | 2025 HRI Pioneer 2022–nowShiye Cao (CS PhD) | 2022 CRA Outstanding Undergraduate Researcher Finalist | Co-advised by Anqi Liu 2025–nowLaura Fleig (CS PhD) | Percy Pierre fellow | Co-advised by Mathias Unberath 2025–nowJie Gao (Postdoc) | John C. Malone Postdoctoral Fellow | Co-advised by Ziang Xiao and Mark Dredze 2025-nowAmama Mahmood (Postdoc) | John C. Malone Postdoctoral Fellow | Co-advised by Ziang Xiao and Paul Yi
2023–2025Tsung-Chi Lin (Postdoc) | John C. Malone Postdoctoral Fellow
Now: New Jersey Institute of Technology
2020–2025Amama Mahmood (CS PhD) | CS Department fellow
Now: Johns Hopkins Malone Center for Engineering in Healthcare
2019–2024Maia Stiber (CS PhD) | CS Department fellow | 2024 HRI Pioneer | Co-advised by Russ Taylor
I mainly publish at HRI, HCI (CHI, CSCW, IUI), and Robotics (ICRA, IROS, RSS) venues. My full publication list is available on Google Scholar. Here are some highlights:
RSS'25Interruption Handling for Conversational Robots | pdf HRI'25"See You Later, Alligator": Impacts of Robot Small Talk on Task, Rapport, and Interaction Dynamics in Human-Robot Collaboration | pdf | Best paper award honorable mention CHI'25Voice Assistants for Health Self-Management: Designing for and with Older Adults | pdf RadiologyCare to Explain? AI Explanation Types Differentially Impact Physician Diagnostic Performance and Trust in AI | pdf IJHCSUser Interaction Patterns and Breakdowns in Conversing with LLM-Powered Voice Assistants | pdf IROS'22Modeling Human Response to Robot Errors for Timely Error Detection | pdf
Human-Robot Collaboration ArXivRobot Error Awareness Through Human Reactions: Implementation, Evaluation, and Recommendations | pdf HRI'25"See You Later, Alligator": Impacts of Robot Small Talk on Task, Rapport, and Interaction Dynamics in Human-Robot Collaboration | pdf | Best paper award honorable mention ArXiv"You Might Like It": How People Respond to Small Talk During Human-Robot Collaboration | pdf ACM THRIForging Productive Human-Robot Partnerships Through Task Training | pdf HRI'23"What If It Is Wrong": Effects of Power Dynamics and Trust Repair Strategy on Trust and Compliance in HRI | pdf HRI'23On Using Social Signals to Enable Flexible Error-Aware HRI | pdf IROS'22Modeling Human Response to Robot Errors for Timely Error Detection | pdf HRI'20See What I See: Enabling User-Centric Robotic Assistance Using First-Person Demonstrations | pdf HRI'16Anticipatory Robot Control for Efficient Human-Robot Collaboration | pdf Frontiers in PsychologyUsing Gaze Patterns to Predict Task Intent in Collaboration | pdf RSS'15Adaptive Coordination Strategies for Human-Robot Handovers | pdf
Social Robots RSS'25Interruption Handling for Conversational Robots | pdf HRI'25Xpress: Generating Dynamic, Context-Aware Robot Facial Expressions Using Language Models | pdf IJSRSocial Robots for Sleep Health: A Scoping Review | pdf HRI'23Co-Designing with Older Adults, for Older Adults: Robots to Promote Physical Activity | pdf Science RoboticsImproving Social Skills in Children with ASD Using a Long-Term, In-Home Social Robot | pdf HRI'18Thinking Aloud with a Tutoring Robot to Enhance Learning | pdf HRI'17Give Me a Break! Personalized Timing Strategies to Promote Learning in Robot-Child Tutoring | pdf RSS'13Modeling and Evaluating Narrative Gestures for Humanlike Robots | pdf | Best paper award runner-up
End-User Robot Programming HRI'24Alchemist: LLM-Aided End-User Development of Robot Applications | pdf IJHCSOlder Adults' Expectations, Experiences, and Preferences in Programming Physical Robot Assistance | pdf ACM Computing SurveyA Survey on End-User Robot Programming | pdf Robotics and Autonomous SystemsDesigning User-Centric Programming Aids for Kinesthetic Teaching of Collaborative Robots | pdf IUI'19PATI: A Projection-Based Augmented Table-Top Interface for Robot Programming | pdf
Socially Aware Robot Navigation IROS'22Learning a Group-Aware Policy for Robot Navigation | pdf Frontiers in Robotics and AIEvaluation of Socially-Aware Robot Navigation | pdf | 2022 Outstanding Article, Editor's Picks ICRA'20Intent-Aware Pedestrian Prediction for Adaptive Crowd Navigation | pdf
Human-AI Interaction RadiologyCare to Explain? AI Explanation Types Differentially Impact Physician Diagnostic Performance and Trust in AI | pdf ACM TiiSID.8: Co-Creating Visual Stories with Generative AI | pdf CSCW'24Designing for Appropriate Reliance: The Roles of AI Uncertainty Presentation, Initial User Decision, and User Demographics in AI-Assisted Decision-Making | pdf CSCW'23How Time Pressure from Different Phases of Decision-Making Influences Human-AI Collaboration | pdf IJHCSMitigating Knowledge Imbalance in AI-Advised Decision-Making Through Collaborative User Involvement | pdf CSCW'22Understanding User Reliance on AI in Assisted Decision-Making | pdf CHI'22Owning Mistakes Sincerely: Strategies for Mitigating AI Errors | pdf npj Digital MedicineExplainable Medical Imaging AI Needs Human-Centered Design: Guidelines and Evidence from a Systematic Review | pdf
Conversational Voice Assistants CHI'25Voice Assistants for Health Self-Management: Designing for and with Older Adults | pdf IJHCSUser Interaction Patterns and Breakdowns in Conversing with LLM-Powered Voice Assistants | pdf ArXivSituated Understanding of Older Adults' Interactions with Voice Assistants: A Month-long In-home Study | pdf CSCW'24Gender Biases in Error Mitigation by Voice Assistants | pdf
Exploratory Projects HRI'25The Design of On-Body Robots for Older Adults | pdf IROS'24Reducing Performance Variability and Overcoming Limited Spatial Ability: Targeted Training for Remote Robot Teleoperation ArXivAn Introduction to Causal Inference Methods for Observational Human-Robot Interaction Research | pdf ISMAR'23Active Engagement with Virtual Reality Reduces Stress and Increases Positive Emotions IUI'22Crowdsourcing Thumbnail Captions Using Time-Constrained Methods | pdf
Teaching
EN.601.493/693 Accessible Computing Fall 2025
EN.601.491/691 Human-Robot Interaction Spring 2022, Spring 2021, Spring 2020, Spring 2019, Spring 2018
EN.601.490/690 Introduction to Human-Computer Interaction Fall 2023, Fall 2022, Fall 2021, Fall 2020, Fall 2019, Fall 2018
PhD I am always looking for highly motivated students interested in human-computer interaction and/or robotics. However, I do not reply to any inquiries and/or comment on applicaiton materials. If you are interested in working with me, you need to apply to our CS graduate program directly.
MSE and Undergraduates
I am always willing to mentor and involve highly motivated MSE and undergraduate students in research. Research projects in my group typically involve substantial software engineering. Prospective students should have completed at least Intermediate Programming, Data Structures, or Algorithms for Sensor-Based Robotics before reaching out.
Research is not a hobby; it requires a strong commitment. To make meaningful progress, you should be prepared to dedicate at least 10 hours per week to your research project. Teamwork is essential, as you will likely collaborate with one or two of my PhD or Master’s students on a project.
If you believe you are ready for this commitment, please send me a note along with your resume and transcript for consideration.
John C. Malone Assistant Professor