LIZ CARTER, PH.D.

Languages

 

English

Spanish

Work experience

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Project Scientist, Robotics Institute, Carnegie Mellon University

July 2019 - Present

Consultant/RA3, Robotics Institute, Carnegie Mellon University

June 2017 - Present

   

• Perform and publish studies with Prof. Aaron Steinfeld's research group on human-robot interaction and how social cognition can be leveraged by robots to elicit help, signal failures, and impact perceptions of trust and loyalty.

• Perform and publish studies with Prof. Stephanie Rosenthal on human-robot interaction, trust in robots, and measures such as neglect tolerance for A.I. systems

• Perform and publish studies with Prof. Henny Admoni on human-robot interaction and AR interfaces for robot control

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Consultant, Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Stockholm, Sweden

June 2018 - Present

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• Perform and publish studies with Prof. Iolanda Leite's research group on human-robot interaction and trust and how technologies such as VR can be used for simulations of interactions.

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Associate Research Scientist, Disney Research, The Walt Disney Company

June 2015 - June 2017

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• Perform and publish human-computer interaction research on the use of interactive avatars and pseudointeractive cartoons for children’s entertainment. Examine character preferences among children of different ages. Report the results of my research projects to decision-makers in other business units.

• Perform and publish studies on human-robot interaction to identify optimal robot behaviors and control systems for social interaction with groups of people.

• Design, perform, and analyze play tests for new interactive character attractions. Assist with play tests with robots at DisneyLand. Help transfer our knowledge to other business units.

• Provide expertise on user studies and human perception for haptic interfaces and RFID tag projects.

• Presented research results to other members of the scientific community at international conferences as well as at internal meetings within the company. Our team’s work has received multiple best paper awards and nominations.

• Serve on the program committee for the Symposium on Applied Perception, review articles for numerous scientific journals and international conferences, and review grant proposals for Research Grants Council Hong Kong.

 

Postdoctoral Researcher and Research Associate III, Robotics Institute, Carnegie Mellon University

August 2009 - June 2015

 

• Principal Investigator, National Institutes of Health grant on the use of interactive computer avatars for children with autism. Designed experiments, allocated research budget, performed research, and supervised employees.

• Performed and published research on the use of interactive avatars for teleconferencing, therapy, and entertainment in adults and children with and without autism. Tested human-robot interaction for theme park applications in addition to visual perception and eye movement analyses for animation and film.

• Mentored two School of Computer Science Ph.D. students. Supervised seven undergraduate interns.

• Reviewed paper presentation proposals as part of the program committee for a symposium on applied perception, articles for twelve scientific journals and international conferences.

 

Consultant, Disney Research Pittsburgh

December 2012 - June 2015

 

• Performed and published research on visual perception and eye movement analyses for animation, art, and film; on analyzing audience behaviors to assess movie quality; and on facial expressions.

 

Graduate Student & Instructor, Carnegie Mellon University Psychology

July 2007 - July 2009; Fall 2012

 

• Designed, performed, and published functional MRI and eyetracking research on adults and children with and without autism.

• Taught Research Methods in Cognitive Psychology, selecting course materials, lecturing, and creating exams; supervised teaching assistant.

• Served as a Teaching Assistant and supervised undergraduate students performing independent studies.

 

Graduate Student & Research Assistant, Duke University Department of Psychology

February 2005 - June 2007

 

• Designed, performed, and published functional MRI and eyetracking research on adults and children with and without autism.

• Served as a Teaching Assistant and supervised undergraduate students performing independent studies.

 

Masters Student, University of California, San Diego Department of Psychology

September 2003 - December 2004

 

• Performed and supervised Applied Behavior Analysis language therapies for nonverbal toddlers with autism.

• Performed research on face recognition and memory.

• Served as Teaching Assistant and guest lecturer for undergraduate Psychology students.

2010 - present