Meet Our Team

A/Prof Nathan Caruana​

Principal
​Investigator

I am a cognitive neuroscientist focused on understanding the factors that shape positive social interactions involving neurotypical and neurodivergent individuals (e.g., autism, schizophrenia) as well as artificial agents (e.g., virtual avatars, robots). I have been leading this research since 2012, and launched the HAVIC lab in 2018 before joining Flinders University as a faculty member in 2024. 

Dr Irene Sophia Plank​

Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Fellow

I'm interested in how people understand and interact with each other. While my previous research has focused on real-life interactions or tightly controlled experiments, I'm now starting to combine the two by using virtual reality. Specifically, I want to investigate how we can design VR spaces to encourage prosocial behaviour and lead this work through the VIBE project. ​

Dr David Nicoll​

Lab
​Technician​

I have a background in both computing and psychology (B.Comp, BPsycSc Hons, PhD). As a multidisciplinary researcher I bring a distinctive blend of analytical, human-centred, and systems-oriented perspectives to my work. I have a strong commitment to collaborative, cross-disciplinary inquiry, and a particular interest in integrating human insights into systems or technological innovation. ​

Assistants, Interns and Affiliates

​Sophia Jaeger​

​Lab Administrator + Research Assistant

I am an undergraduate student in Cognitive Science (Osnabrück University, Germany) and a research intern within the HAVIC Lab on a DAAD-Rise visiting scholarship. I am facilitating a number of projects including Outback Robots, InvigiBOT, and VIBE. ​

Terry Goetz​

​Research
​Intern

I enjoy research at the intersection of psychology and philosophy, particularly in the areas of moral psychology and social decision-making. I am a research intern working with Nate on the SocialVR project examining autistic young people's experiences and perspectives towards social interactions in virtual reality. ​

Dr Friederike Hechler

Affiliated
​Postdoctoral Associate

I am a PhD alumna of the HAVIC Lab. I study social perception and communication between humans and with artificial agents; neuro-affirming psychometric tool design and validation; and range of topics in autism research including sensory experiences, eating, and attitudes towards AI. I have contributed to several projects including ALIGN, GAZE COMM and Aut-2-Label.  

Ben Kelly

Research Assistant

I am a research assistant in the HAVIC Lab, working on the Outback Robots project. I am also an undergraduate student in Biomedical Engineering and have a passion for using robotics to engage children in education. I have experience working with children in schools and am excited to apply my skills to support teachers - especially in outback and remote parts of Australia. 

Flinders University PhD Candidates

Matthew Christian​

PhD Student
​+ Lecturer

My research expertise lies in judgment and decision making, with a particular focus on the motivated rejection of science. I’m passionate about equipping students to think critically and thrive in a technology-driven world, and I currently lead projects integrating generative AI into teaching practices and applying nudge analytics to enhance student engagement and success.

Sanchari Sengupta​

Enterprise Industry
​PhD Student

I am doing a PhD within the BookBOTs project with A/Prof Nathan Caruana, Dr. Alex Wang, Mr. Adrian DeWitts (Bookbot.com), and Prof. Genevieve McArthur (Australian Catholic University and the Dyslexia SPELD Foundation). I aim to help design and evaluate large language model (LLM) and AI-based agents that support children experiencing reading difficulties. The goal is to help these children engage more deeply with reading, enjoy the process, and improve their literacy skills.

Ying Man Sung

Enterprise Industry
​PhD Student

I am a PhD candidate investigating the relationship between emotion dysregulation and sensory overload experienced by autistic adolescents. In my research project - VERT - I will design a new emotion regulation training program for autistic adolescents using virtual reality with the assistance of an artificial intelligence agent.

Jasmin (Jazz)
Gallagher-Bohn

Clinical Psychology
​PhD Student

I am a PhD student working with A/Prof Nathan Caruana and Prof. Michael Wenzel investigating how diagnostic labels and stigma influence social interactions involving autistic people. This work focuses on high stakes social contexts that have significant consequences for wellbeing - including job interviews and mental healthcare assessments. This work contributes to the Aut-2-Label? and IN-ter-VR-u projects and will examine how VR technology can measure, identify and address stigma-related biases.  

Olivia (Liv) 
​Lange​

Clinical Psychology
​PhD Student​

​I am a PhD student working with A/Prof Nathan Caruana and Dr Annabelle Neall (Director, Flinders Workplace Wellbeing Lab) investigating the experience of autistic individuals in the workplace (Aut-2-WORK-Safe). My previous research was in the area of developmental neuropsychology investigating the relationship between ADHD and craniosynostosis. My interests include neurodiversity, personality disorders, and the intersection of mental health and physical health.

Shivani
​Prabhu

CAP-E Lab
​PhD Student

I am a PhD student working under the supervision of Prof Mridula Sharma, A/Prof Nathan Caruana, and Dr Karen Sparrow. In my project -SIGNAL - I will be investigating listening and pragmatic language skills in adolescents with cochlear implants. Part of my research will focus on documenting and comparing non-verbal communication cues in dyads with interlocutors that do and do not have Cochlear Implants.

External PhD + Masters Students

Luca M. Leisten​

Social Brain Sciences PhD Student​

I am a PhD student at ETH Zürich and EPF Lausanne at the cognitive and neurosciences department under the supervision of Prof. Emily S. Cross and A/Prof Nathan Caruana - with a research focus on child-agent interaction and learning sciences. My research interest lies in social interaction, long-term engagement, and bias in human-robot and child-agent interaction. I am also collaborating with Nate on a project called Outback Robots. 

Michelle Emery

CAIN Lab
​PhD Student​

I'm a PhD student at Adelaide University. My research centres on improving mental health care accessibility for autistic and ADHD adults using participatory approaches that prioritise lived experiences and leverages AI. My professional background in strategic operations and HR leadership provides practical insights that inform my research approach. I am supervised by Prof Tobias Loetscher and Dr. Mel Hull (Adelaide Uni), A/Prof Nathan Caruana (Flinders), Dr Nigel Newbutt (University of Florida). End User Advisors are Jenny Karavolos - Australian Autism Alliance and Vanessa Launer - ConnectedSelf.

Gabriel Becker​

Master of Human Factors Student 

I am a Masters student based at TU Berlin, working with Prof Eva Weise and A/Prof Nathan Caruana on a project called InvigiBOT examining the role of social robot presence and interaction on human cognitive performance (attention and vigilance) during tedious tasks. My masters project is being conducted in the HAVIC Lab at Flinders (Adelaide) over the 2025-6 summer.

HAVIC Lab Alumni​ ​

PhD and Masters Students 

1. ​Colleen Murphy (PhD, Macquarie University, 2025)
2. Isaiah Fabbro (M.Clin Psychology, Flinders University, 2025)
3. Friederike Charlotte Hechler (PhD, Macquarie University & Universität Potsdam, 2025)
4. Kaelan Schofer (M Rehabilitation engineering, Flinders University, 2024)
5. Hannah Cahill (MRes, Macquarie University, 2024)
6. Linda Barbanell (PhD, Macquarie University, 2023)
7. Kristina Haira (Mres, Macquarie University, 2023)
8. Irene Graafsma (PhD, Macquarie University, 2021)
9. Kirilee Wagner (MRes, Macquarie University – 1st Place, University medal, 2019)
10. Ayeh Alhassan (MRes, Macquarie University, 2019)
11. Inga Hameister (PhD, Macquarie University, 2018)
12. Martyna Chwaszczewska (MSc Neuroscience and Education, University of Bristol, 2018)                        

 
Psychology Honours Students 

1. Tayah Anstey (Flinders University, 2025)
2. Ross McDougall (Flinders University, 2025)
3. Tamsyn Beer (Flinders University, 2025)
4. Cooper Stark (Flinders University, 2024)
5. ​Katie Aitkin (Flinders University, 2024)
6. Cher-Lynne Wee (First Class, Flinders University, 2024)
7. Christine Inkley (First Class, Macquarie University – 1st Place, University Medal, 2019)
8. ​Dean Spirou (First Class, Macquarie University, 2016)                                                                                                      

Research Internships

1. Angelina Xia (PSYC3011, Undergraduate Intern, Flinders University, 2025)
2. Sophia Jaeger (DAAD Rise [email protected] Intern, Osnabrück University, Germany, 2025)
3. Amelia Munday (COGS3999 Intern, Macquarie University, 2023)
4. Bhairavi Tahir (COGS3999 Intern, Macquarie University, 2023) 
5. Adriana Haddad (MEDI3901 Undergraduate Intern, Macquarie University, 2023)
6. Eva von Butler (DAAD Rise [email protected] Intern, Osnabrück University, Germany, 2023)  
7. Torben Rehmer (DAAD Rise [email protected] Intern, Paderborn University, Germany, 2022)
8. Kristina Haira (MEDI7041 Undergraduate Intern, Macquarie University, 2022)
9. Sharlene Zeederberg (COGS3250 Undergraduate Intern, Macquarie University, 2022)
10. Samuel Bezzina (COGS3999 Intern, Macquarie University, 2021) 
11. Vivian Wu (COGS3999 Intern, Macquarie University, 2021)
12. Michael Gurvevich (COGS3999 Intern, Macquarie University, 2021)
13. Nicolai Hermann (DAAD Rise [email protected] Intern, Osnabrück University, Germany, 2021)                       
14. Glicyr Perez (COGS3250 Undergraduate Intern, Macquarie University, 2021)                   
15. Jessica Kenny (COGS3999 Intern, Macquarie University, 2020) 
16. Glicyr Perez (COGS3999 Intern, Macquarie University, 2020) 
17. Silas Collard (COGS3999 Intern, Macquarie University, 2019) 
18. Courtney Munro (COGS3999 Intern, Macquarie University, 2019) 
19. Kirilee Wagner (PACE MRes Yr 1 Intern, Macquarie University, 2018) 
20. Ayeh Alhasan (PACE MRes Yr 1 Intern, Macquarie University, 2018) 
21. Christine Inkley (Undergraduate Intern, Macquarie University, 2017) 
22. Maia Zucco (Undergraduate Intern, Macquarie University, 2016)
23. Aydin Anic (Undergraduate Intern, Macquarie University, 2016)     
    

Key External Collaborators + Partners

1. Prof Emily S Cross | Professorship of Social Brain Sciences – ETH Zurich
2. Mr Adrian DeWitts | Bookbots.com
3. Dr Friederike Charlotte Hechler | HAVIC Lab Affiliate - Potsdam University 
4. A/Prof David Hobbs | Rehabilitation Engineering - Flinders University 
5. Prof Tobias Loetscher | CAIN Lab – Adelaide University
6. Prof Genevieve McArthur | ACAL – ACU and DyslexiaSPELD Foundation, Perth
7. Dr Ryssa Moffat | Professorship of Social Brain Sciences – ETH Zurich
8. Dr Patrick Nalepka | Psychological Sciences – Macquarie University
9. Dr Annabelle Neall | Flinders Workplace Wellbeing Lab - Flinders University​
10. Prof Liz Pellicano | Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology – UCL 
11. Prof Anna Remington | Centre for Research in Autism and Education – UCL
12. Dr Andrea Salins | ACAL – ACU
13. Dr Kiley Seymour | UTS
14. Prof Mridula Sharma | Audiology – Flinders University
15. Dr Diana Tan | Education – Macquarie University 
16. Dr Emmanuele Tidoni | HuTechLab, School of Psychology – University of Leeds
17. Prof Matthias Trier | Chair of Social Computing – Paderborn University
18. Prof Eva Wiese | Human Factors – Berlin Institute of Technology 
19. Prof Robyn Young | Autism Research Initiative - Flinders University