Nwabisi Chikwendu

• Led end-to-end research for socially assistive robotics, including usability testing, expert interviews, and focus groups to identify caregiver and older adult needs.
• Transformed behavioral insights into actionable frameworks, including user journeys and interaction patterns that guided robotic systems design decisions.
• Spearheaded studies on soft robotics for aging-in-place, using OptiTrack motion capture to quantify usability barriers; Presented findings at HRI 2024 and UXPA Boston 2024.
• Institutionalized research rigor by developing standardized protocols for interview guides, Miro-based affinity mapping, and insight repositories to accelerate team-wide research workflows.

Key Projects

• Project Punyo: Directed HRI research in whole-body manipulation (punyo.tech), shaping soft robotics design through user studies and engineering collaboration.
• Multimodal Communication Study: Developed participatory workshops (U.S./Japan) to define visual, tactile, and auditory preferences for robots, creating cross-cultural design frameworks.
• Biomechanics Symposium: Designed and executed hybrid research initiative integrating expert interviews, facility tours, and knowledge-sharing across teams. Organized symposium uniting experts in aging, disability, and robotics to align R&D with practical needs.

Relational Agents Group (relationalagents.com)

• Led participant operations for relational agent studies: recruited/scheduled 100+ at-risk users, executed protocols, and pre-tested applications before beta deployment.
• Co-developed agent scripts and educational content, ensuring culturally appropriate messaging for diverse populations.
• Partnered with government, academic, and faith-based organizations to optimize study designs and participant engagement strategies.

• Coordinated cross-organizational initiatives with 15+ community health centers and advocacy groups to develop social justice training materials, ensuring culturally relevant content for nationwide dissemination.
• Streamlined stakeholder engagement by managing event logistics, scheduling, and communications between executives, clinicians, and nonprofit partners.
• Co-authored grant proposals that secured funding for community health programs, contributing to budget planning and long-term sustainability strategies.