- Personal Robots
Hi y'all, I'm Isabella! I'm a first-year PhD student in the Personal Robots Group.
My research explores how social robots and AI systems can support K–12 learning through playful, creative, and interactive experiences that blend AI with the arts—including visual art, storytelling, music, and games. I design, build, and evaluate these systems to empower the next generation to tackle issues they care most about using emergent technologies like AI and robots, while ensuring that these technologies are also accessible and understandable to all learners.
My Master's thesis involved creating a series of interactive storybooks that combined narrative storytelling, games, and different elements of the fine arts (dance, music, poetry, acting, visual arts) to teach children age 6-9 about AI and robotics. Additionally, I have built social robot interactions to help children practice social-emotional learning competencies, novel human-AI co-creativity tools, and worked directly with children by conducting robot and AI design workshops.
Before coming to the Media Lab, I received my B.S.E. in Computer Science from Princeton University in 2023 along with a certificate in Robotics and Intelligent Systems, graduating magna cum laude.
I spent three summers interning with the Player Interactions & Trust team at Blizzard Entertainment, working on making games like Overwatch and World of Warcraft, with millions of players, friendlier and more pro-social. I have also previously worked on animations to teach non-expert audiences about generative AI, programmed a multi-robot generative percussion quartet, developed programmatic art that shapeshifts based on live musical input, and worked on games to teach about sustainability.
Outside of research, I enjoy achievement hunting in video games, fashion, writing and performing poetry, and music composition.