CAMERA are thrilled to be welcoming 2 new PhD researchers to our team this autumn. Lauren Pococke is joining us to work with CAMERA researchers Dr Crescent Jicol, Dr Chris Clarke and Dr Christof Lutteroth in the Department of Computer Science.

We asked Lauren to tell us a little about herself and her PhD project.

I am a full-time PhD student with a background in Computer Science and Software Engineering. My previous work has involved modelling factors contributing to trust and intended usage of AI agents both in autonomous vehicles and healthcare AI contexts through virtual reality simulations, considering variables such as anthropomorphism across both environments as well as more context-specific factors.

I will be working to develop a better understanding of users’ sense of agency in virtual reality experiences and how this can be influenced by various interaction techniques and other aspects of environment design. I aim to use this understanding to design virtual environments which better facilitate interactions for users with limited or restricted hand mobility.

Welcome to the team Lauren!