From 2008 to 2012 I conducted my PhD studies at the Graduate School of the Research Institute for Cognition and Robotics (CoR-Lab), Bielefeld University, Germany, in association with the Artificial Intelligence Group and the Sociable Agents Group. My research was funded by the Honda Research Institute (HRI) Germany.
My PhD work centered on the synthesis and coordination of speech and gesture for the Honda humanoid robot as well as the evaluation of such multimodal behaviors in human-robot interaction. My research interests further evolve around motion planning and generation in both humans and robots with special focus on communicative hand and arm gestures.
As an undergraduate student, I studied Computer Science with a minor in Economics at the University of Paderborn, Germany, and the Queensland University of Technology, Australia. I completed my undergraduate studies with the degree Bachelor of Computer Science in November 2004. Subsequently, I studied Interdisciplinary Media Studies at Bielefeld University, Germany, and the American University in Cairo, Egypt, and received the degree Master of Science in May 2007.