Dr. Angelica Lim is the Director of the Rosie Lab, and an Assistant Professor in the School of Computing Science at Simon Fraser University. Previously, she led the Emotion and Expressivity teams for the Pepper humanoid robot at SoftBank Robotics. She received her B.Sc. in Computing Science (Artificial Intelligence Specialization) from SFU and a Ph.D. and Masters in Computer Science (Intelligence Science) from Kyoto University, Japan. She has been featured on the BBC, TEDx, hosted a TV documentary on robotics, and was recently featured in Forbes 20 Leading Women in AI.
Passionate about diversity, she is the Director of Invent the Future (AI4ALL) program for Canada, teaches CMPT 120: Introduction to Computing Science and Programming and has developed the SFU Computer Science Teaching Toolkit, with the goal of inspiring people of all backgrounds to pursue Computing Science. She also teaches Introduction to Software Engineering and Affective Computing.
Yasaman Etesam is a postdoctoral researcher at the Rosie Lab in the School of Computing Science at Simon Fraser University (SFU). She completed her Ph.D. at the Rosie Lab, with a thesis titled Vision-Language Models for Environmental and Emotional Awareness. She also holds an M.Sc. in Computing Science from SFU and a B.Sc. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Tehran. Her primary research interests include multimodal learning, vision-language models, natural language processing (NLP), and affective computing. Website.
Bita Azari is a Ph.D. student in the School of Computing Science at SFU. She received her M.Sc. degree in Computing Science (Human-Robot Interaction) from SFU in 2019 and her B.Sc. in Computer Engineering from Amirkabir University of Tehran in 2016. Her main research interests include Affective Computing, Human Robot Interaction and Cognitive Science. Rosie Lab - Social Activities Chair
Morteza Badali is a Ph.D. student in the School of Computing Science at Simon Fraser University (SFU). His research focuses on developing advanced deep learning algorithms for adaptive robot-to-human handover systems and robot grasping. Morteza has served as a sessional instructor at SFU, teaching Artificial Intelligence (CMPT 310) and Embedded Systems (ENSC 351). Prior to his Ph.D., he worked as a robotics and software engineer at Advanced Systems and Technology (AIS), specializing in autonomous robotic solutions for agricultural applications. He earned his M.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering (Control Systems and Robotics) from Isfahan University of Technology, Iran, and his B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Sistan and Baluchestan, Iran. He also contributed to the development of Iran’s pioneering implant dental system, AVITA, as a designer and CNC control programmer.
Payam Jome Yazdian is a Ph.D. student in the School of Computing Science at Simon Fraser University. He received his BSc degree in Software Engineering from the University of Sistan & Baluchestan, Iran, in 2014 and his MSc in Artificial Intelligence and Robotics from the University of Tehran, Iran in 2017. His main research interests include Affective Computing, Human-Robot Interaction (HRI), Cognitive Science, and Machine Learning. Rosie Lab - External Relations Chair
Paige Tuttösí is an AI Engineer at Enchanted Tools in Paris and a part-time postdoctoral research assistant with Rosie Lab and the Department of Linguistics at SFU. Her research focuses on human robot interaction and speech technology, she is specifically passionate about technology aided second language acquisition. Currently Paige is working on a Breaking Barriers collaborative project between SFU School of Computing Science and the Department of Linguistics investigating adaptive vocal interfaces for human-AI interactions. Her PhD thesis was completed with the Rosie Lab and was titled "I Know You Are Listening: Adaptive Voice for HRI". She has several publications in prestigious speech science and robotics conferences, was an HRI Pioneer in 2025, and was awarded the France Canada Research Fund to conduct her thesis research at Institut FEMTO-ST in France. Before all of this, Paige used to be a physical anthropologist and studied Asian religion, then she turned to statistics and computer engineering and dabbled in French the whole way through. When Paige is not working she likes to ski, dance ballet, compete in agility with her dog and play around with FPGA boards. Website.
Chuxuan (Shay) Zhang is a Ph.D. student in the School of Computing Science at Simon Fraser University. She received her BA degree in Mathematics and Psychology from the University of British Columbia with high distinction. Her current research interests are affective computing and Human-Robot Interaction, especially in human emotion recognition. She also has a Bachelor’s degree in Preventive Medicine from Xiamen University, China.
Zachary Syvenky is an M.Sc. student in the School of Computing Science at SFU, continuing his studies after completing a B.Sc. in Computing Science with an Extended Minor in Psychology, also at SFU. During his undergraduate studies, a course in affective computing sparked his interest in research, leading to him to pursue graduate studies and joining the Rosie Lab. Combining his passion for computer science and psychology, his research interests include affective computing, human-robot interaction, human behaviour detection, and robot-assisted therapy. Outside of research, Zach is passionate about circus arts. He regularly performs trapeze and juggling and also runs a circus club.
Bermet Burkanova is an M.Sc. student in the School of Computing Science at SFU. She received her B.Sc. Degree in Computer Science from the University of Central Asia. She worked as a Data Scientist at Procter&Gamble from 2021 to 2023. Her main research interests include affective computing, Human-Robot interaction, cognitive science, and machine learning.
Zoe Stanley is a Cognitive Science undergraduate student and FASS Dean’s Fellow at Simon Fraser University, with concentrations in computing science, neuroscience, and analytical philosophy. With a deep interest in neuropsychology and formalising of emotional states, Zoe is passionate about exploring frameworks and technologies that foster emotional well-being. Zoe’s current research involves developing AI systems capable of improving user outcomes in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and affective computing.
Zhitian Zhang, Ph.D., now at Borealis AI
Vera Yang, B.Sc., now Software Development Engineer at Amazon
Lauren Yip, B.Sc. candidate
Archita Srivastava, B.Sc. candidate
Taher Ahmadi, M.Sc. now Machine Learning Engineer at Blue Boat Data
Saba Akhyani, M.Sc., now User Researcher at Netease Games
Emma Hughson, M.Sc., now Senior Affective Computing Engineer at Cambridge Consulting
Roya Javadi, M.Sc., now Machine Learning Software Developer at Vector Institute
Ghazal Saheb Jam, M.Sc., now Software Developer at SAP
Akihiro Matsufuji, Ph.D. now Research Engineer at Panasonic
Sasha Yao, B.Sc., Software Engineer at Realtor.com
James Thompson, B.Sc., now M.Sc. Candidate at University of Alberta
Bronwyn Biro, B.Sc., now Software Engineer at Bloomberg LP
Jimin Rhim, Post Doc, now Instructional Assistant Professor at Texas A&M
Anastasia Akkuzu, B.A., now Ph.D. Candidate at Utrecht University
Anthony Cheung, B.Sc., now Software Engineer at Sanctuary AI
David Pham, B.Sc., now Software Development Engineer at Amazon Web Services
Subin Bae, B.Sc., now Software Developer at Weir Motion Metrics
Trista Townsend, Research Volunteer
Kathleen Moriarty, now Ph.D. candidate at the SFU Medical Image Analysis Lab
Nadia Hazar, B.Sc., now Data Scientist at ZE PowerGroup