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Dr. David Feil-Seifer is a Professor of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Nevada, Reno, and is the Founding Director of the Autonomous Robotics Center of Nevada (ARCoN). He also serves as the Graduate Director for the new Robotics M.S. degree program at UNR, furthering his commitment to advancing robotics education and mentoring the next generation of innovators. His research spans multiple critical areas in human-robot interaction and artificial intelligence.

Dr. Feil-Seifer is a co-PI in the NSF AI Institute for Advancing Education (AI4EE), which aims to develop AI solutions to address the critical shortage of speech-language pathologists in the US education system. His work focuses on several key areas: Socially Assistive Robotics (SAR), a term he helped coin, with applications in healthcare and education; people-aware robot navigation that optimizes for both social appropriateness and goal-oriented behavior; and long-term human-robot interaction (lt-HRI), studying how humans develop and sustain relationships with robots in real-world settings. His research investigates how robots can effectively navigate social spaces while adhering to human social norms, recognizing that violations of these norms could lead to reduced acceptance and effectiveness of robotic systems.

Dr. Feil-Seifer earned his B.S. in Computer Science from the University of Rochester, where he was a founding member of the Undergraduate Robot Research Team, winners of the 2002 AAAI Mobile Host Competition. He continued his studies at the University of Southern California’s Viterbi School of Engineering, receiving his M.S. and Ph.D. in Computer Science under the guidance of Prof. Maja Matarić. His doctoral work, which earned the USC VSoE Best Dissertation Award, laid the foundation for SAR applications in diverse healthcare contexts. Following this, he completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Yale University’s Social Robotics Lab, working with Prof. Brian Scassellati.

Throughout his career, Dr. Feil-Seifer has received numerous accolades, including the NSF/CRA Computing Innovation Fellowship, the Mellon Award for Mentoring, and membership in the Order of Arete. His research contributions are complemented by a strong commitment to education and mentorship. He has mentored over 100 undergraduate students, many of whom have participated in research publications and gone on to successful careers in robotics and related fields. His projects often involve collaborative human-robot interaction (CHRI) and emphasize real-world applications in hospitals, homes, and disaster mitigation scenarios.

Dr. Feil-Seifer’s work has been widely published and recognized for its impact on the development of autonomous systems capable of interpreting and responding to human social behavior. By integrating robotics and human-centered design, his research continues to push the boundaries of how robots can enhance quality of life and address critical societal needs. Mastodon