Henny Admoni

Henny Admoni is a preeminent authority on human-robot interaction and an expert in non-verbal communication, assistive machines and the future of work. Currently, the A. Nico Habermann Assistant Professor of Robotics at Carnegie Mellon University, she is also the leader of the Human And Robot Partners (HARP) Lab. Seeking to develop human-aware machines to assist and collaborate with humans on complex tasks, Henny is paving the way for human-centred AI and robotics. A highly sought-after speaker, Henny delivers thought-provoking presentations on the future of human and robot interaction.

Holding an MS in Computer Science from Yale, Henny also earned a joint BA/MA in Computer Science from Wesleyan University. She completed her PhD in Computer Science at Yale University, where she explored modelling complex dynamics of nonverbal behaviour for socially assistive human-robot interaction. In 2015, Henny joined Carnegie Mellon University as a Postdoctoral Fellow, where she was supervised by Siddhartha Srinivasa in the Personal Robotics Lab before becoming Assistant Professor in 2017.

As a distinguished academic, Henny was the recipient of several grants, including the NSF CAREER Grant, the Okawa Research Grant, and the A. Nico Habermann Career Development Professorship at CMU. In support of her research on assistive robots, she has been backed by prominent institutions, including the Paralysed Veterans of America Foundation, the US Office of Naval Research and the US National Science Foundation. As a leading figure in robotics, she has published articles in prominent publications, including the Financial Times, IEEE Spectrum, GeekWire, Siliconrepublic and MACH. Henny has also made appearances on Voice of America News, NPR and WESA radio.

An internationally recognised expert on human-centred robotics, Henny is outspoken about the importance of representation in AI. Frequently delivering speeches at prestigious venues, she recently gave a speech at the World Economic Forum titled The Future of Human and Robot Interaction, a subject which she eloquently covers in her speaking engagements. Now available to hire for speaking presentations, Henny shares her vision for a future where robots can support humans in a number of ways, from reducing food waste to assisting in the clean-up of chemical spills.