Anca leads a research laboratory studying interaction between humans and robots in Berkeley, at the University of California. One important focus of her work is teaching robots to anticipate human actions and to respond accordingly. Furthermore, her research interests include Artificial Intelligence, Intelligent Systems and Robotics.

Dragan moved to the US after graduating in Computer Sciences from Jacobs University in 2009 to complete her PhD in Robotics at Carnegie Mellon. About her time at Jacobs, she says:
“Back then I would never have been able to imagine having the chance to carry out research at one of the best universities in the world. My degree at Jacobs University made this possible for me. I had great teachers and it formed the foundation for my subsequent career.”

She also kept in touch with many fellow alumni, even though they are spread all over the world:
“They have become friends for life – they’re like family to me. There’s something magical about sharing a manageable space like the Jacobs University campus with people from more than 100 nations.”

For the full feature on Anca, which is also part of the series “Faces of Jacobs”, please visit: https://www.jacobs-university.de/news/anca-dragan-robot-teacher