Esther Cardenas is a junior studying psychology. She plans to pursue a career in the healthcare field as a PA.
Esther’s research interests include human robot interaction and improving technology for the health of all people.
Category: People
Khushi Patel
Khushi Patel is a sophomore studying Interdisciplinary Health Science. After graduation, she plans to pursue a Master’s in Anesthesia.
Khushi’s research interests include improving the quality of life for people with mild cognitive impairment and health technology.
Shuoning Shi
Shuoning (Stone) Shi is a senior student double majoring in Industrial Design and New Media. He plans to become a design researcher focused on aging and user experience design.
Stone’s interests include interactive product design, human-computer interaction, and human-robot interaction.
Nishkaam Patel
Nishkaam Patel is a sophomore studying Community Health. After graduation, he plans on attending medical school to strive for his dream of becoming a doctor.
Nishkaam’s research interests include public health, health technology, and human-centered designs.
Veronica Falcon Borbolla
Graduate Student
Veronica Falcon is a first-year M.S. student studying Health and Kinesiology. After graduation, she plans to continue in the program and pursue her doctoral degree.
Veronica’s research interests include human-robot interaction, virtual reality, designing for older adults, and
Pallabi Bhowmick
Postdoctoral Research Associate
Pallabi Bhowmick is involved in the CREATE VR project and the HRI project. Before coming to UIUC, she worked for four years in Wipro and Intel. Her research focuses on using virtual reality to enhance cognitive and
Past Visiting Scholars
University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana
- Tongxin Sun – Tsinghua University (August 2023 – November 2024)
- April Pereira – University of Waterloo (January 2024 – June 2024)
- Lizandra Vergara – Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (September 2021 – February 2022)
- Juliana Tissot
Olivia Kuhl
Graduate Student
Olivia is a first-year graduate student at the University of Illinois, where she is pursuing a Master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology. She recently graduated in May 2024 with an undergraduate degree in Speech and Hearing Science from the
Benjamin Yim
Benjamin Yim is a sophomore studying Psychology with a concentration in Clinical/Community Psychology. He plans to pursue practicing medicine as a psychiatrist after graduation.
Ben’s research interests include psychological interventions and pharmacology.
Gabriela Gryc
Gabriela Gryc is a junior studying Interdisciplinary Health Sciences and minoring in Chemistry. After graduation, she plans to take a few gap years to gain more patient care experience while applying to physician assistant programs.
Gabriela’s research interests include medication