Robin Bretin

Background

About

With a background in both computer science and applied cognitive psychology, I am a versatile 'Swiss army knife' researcher, equally at ease with technical and theoretical work in Human-Robot and Human-Computer Interaction. My expertise lies in Extended Reality, proxemic behaviors, and Human-Drone Interaction—the core pillars of my thesis project. A lifelong learner driven by the question 'but why?', I am passionate about tackling unresolved problems through innovative approaches—because the answers are out there, waiting to be uncovered.

Work Experience

PhD Research Activities, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
Jan, 2020 - Jan, 20244 years
Performed various research activities throughout my thesis. Supervised my Dr. Mohammed Khamis (University of Glasgow) and Prof. Dr. Emily Cross (ETH Zurich)
- Designed and conducted in-person and VR-based user studies, employing Unity, C#, and Python drone programming.
- Quantitative and qualitative analysis of various data format using R.
- Academic writing (e.g., posters, journal and conference papers) leading to publications in top-tier peer-reviewed journals and conferences.
- Presented published work at international conferences, including CHI and INTERACT.
- Reviewed papers for CHI, HRI, CSCW, THRI, and ISMAR.
- Served as 1AC for CHI LBW track.
- Supervised student projects and internships.
Research Visit, Chalmers University of Technology, Goteborg, Sweden
May, 2023 - Jun, 20231 month
Led a project on Drones' Social Cues impact on proxemics, in collaboration with local researchers including Dr. Mohammad Obaid.
Human Factors Consultant Intern, SNCF/Human Design Group, Paris, France
May, 2020 - Jun, 20201 month
Developed a methodology to assess human reliability in train conductor functions for the Autonomous Train project.
- Collaborated with train conductors and presented findings to clients.
Research Intern, Armed Forces Biomedical Research Institute (IRBA), Brétigny-sur-Orge, France
May, 2019 - Jun, 20191 month
Conducted ergonomic inspections of the VICTEAMS VR prototype.
- Investigated gaze-based interaction designs and collected data in VR environments.
- Contributed to improving virtual environments for team-based training scenarios.

Skills

Software & Progamming
Unity

C#

Extended Reality

Python

Drone Programming (e.g., DJI)

Blender (3D Modeling)

HMTL (Web dev)

GitHub

R

Latex - Overleaf
Statistical Analysis
R

Advanced Visualisations

Quantitative Analysis

Qualitative Analysis

Physiological Data (eg., ECG, EDA).
Research Skills
Supervision

Reviewing Papers

Academic Writing

Presentation Skills

Good Practice (e.g., pre-regsitration, sample justification)

Education

Computing Science, Psychology, PhD, University of Glasgow
Sep, 2020 - Dec, 2024
Cognitive Engineering, Engineering Diploma (Master 2 Level), École Nationale Supérieure de Cognitique (ENSC)
Sep, 2017 - Jun, 2020
, Exchange Semester, Laval University
Jan, 2019 - May, 2019
Mathematics, Physics, and Engineering Sciences, Preparatory Classes, La Prépa des INP
Sep, 2015 - Jun, 2017
Exact Sciences - Life and Earth Sciences (S-SVT), Baccalauréat Scientifique, Lycée Notre-Dame du Roc
Sep, 2012 - Jun, 2015

Awards

IFIP TC13 Pioneers' Award for Best Doctoral Student Paper , INTERACT 2023
Awarded on: Jan 01, 2023
Recognized for exceptional contribution to doctoral research in Human-Computer Interaction.
Best Paper Reviewers' Choice Award , INTERACT 2023
Awarded on: Jan 01, 2023
Awarded for the best conference paper.

Publications

Co-existing with Drones: A Virtual Exploration of Proxemic Behaviours and Users’ Insights on Social Drones , Robin Bretin, Emily Cross, and Mohamed Khamis
Published on: Mar 01, 2024
International Journal of Social Robotics
'Pikachu would electrocute people who are misbehaving': Expert, Guardian and Child Perspectives on Automated Embodied Moderators for Safeguarding Children in Social Virtual Reality , Cristina Fiani, Robin Bretin , Shaun Alexander Macdonald, and Mohamed Khamis, Mark Mcgill
Published on: May 01, 2024
Proceedings of the 2024 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
Evaluating Transferable Emotion Expressions for Zoomorphic Social Robots using VR Prototyping , Shaun Macdonald, Robin Bretin, and Salma ElSayed
Published on: Oct 01, 2024
IEEE International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality (ISMAR)
“Do I Run Away?”: Proximity, Stress and Discomfort in Human-Drone Interaction in Real and Virtual Environments, Robin Bretin, Mohamed Khamis, and Emily Cross
Published on: Oct 01, 2023
Human-Computer Interaction – INTERACT 2023
Big Buddy: Exploring Child Reactions and Parental Perceptions towards a Simulated Embodied Moderating System for Social Virtual Reality, Cristina Fiani, Robin Bretin, Mark Mcgill, and Mohamed Khamis
Published on: Jun 01, 2023
Proceedings of the 22nd Annual ACM Interaction Design and Children Conference
Big Buddy: A Simulated Embodied Moderating System to Mitigate Children’s Reaction to Provocative Situations within Social Virtual Reality, Cristina Fiani, Robin Bretin, Mark McGill, and Mohamed Khamis
Published on: Apr 01, 2023
Extended Abstracts of the 2023 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
Co-existing With a Drone: Using Virtual Reality to Investigate the Effect of the Drone’s Height and Cover Story on Proxemic Behaviours, Robin Bretin , Emily S. Cross, and Mohamed Khamis
Published on: Apr 01, 2022
Extended Abstracts of the 2022 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
The Feet in Human-Centred Security: Investigating Foot-Based User Authentication for Public Displays, Kieran Watson, Robin Bretin, Mohamed Khamis, and Florian Mathis
Published on: Apr 01, 2022
Extended Abstracts of the 2022 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

Interests

Research
Understanding Human BehavioursHuman-Drone InteractionExtended Reality (XR)Social RoboticsProxemics
Hobbies
Self-taught musician (guitar, piano, flute)CinephileGamerChess enthusiastAvid reader (dystopia, fantasy)Sports enthusiastNature

References

Dr. Mohamed Khamis
Robin is truly an exceptional researcher and I highly recommend them for any position where innovative thinking, collaborative skills, and research excellence are valued! I would have hired him if I had vacant positions!