Professor Helen Hastie

Professor Helen Hastie is the joint academic lead of the National Robotarium and director of the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Robotics and Autonomous Systems.

I’m a professor of computer science at Heriot-Watt University and my special interest is in human-robot interaction. I’ve worked in both industry and academia and bring this experience to the National Robotarium, where the goal is to establish a strong link between industry and academia, working together closely on joint initiatives.

Our vision for the National Robotarium is that it will forge a world-leading centre of excellence for fundamental research, as well as its translation into the marketplace, leveraging the world-leading talent of our staff and students. Within the Centre for Doctoral Training in Robotics and Autonomous Systems, building on the work of the Edinburgh Centre of Robotics, we’re training the next generation of roboticists who will lead the safe deployment of robotic and autonomous systems in the real world.

We’re collaborating with a number of industry partners in energy, manufacturing and robotics. There are a whole range of sectors, from healthcare to hazardous environments, where autonomous systems could provide valuable assistance and the leading research and industry-related activities of the National Robotarium will enable this.