1st of March - 12th of April 2026
COLIBRI welcomes Dr. Ziggy O'Reilly as a visiting fellow from March to April 2026. Dr. O'Reilly is a cognitive scientist whose research examines social cognition and moral psychology in human interactions with artificial agents, including robots and AI systems. Her work combines behavioral experimentation with quantitative analysis to investigate how people form impressions of others—particularly artificial agents—by studying how non-verbal cues such as facial expressions and behaviors shape mental state attribution and moral judgments.
A distinctive aspect of Dr. O'Reilly's research is her integration of artistic practices with empirical science. She develops narrative-based experimental stimuli including text vignettes, film, and embodied installations that both support scientific investigation and critically reflect on the societal implications of emerging technologies. She also leads hands-on technology workshops engaging public audiences in discussions about the scientific and ethical dimensions of AI and robotics.
Dr. O'Reilly's interdisciplinary approach aligns well with COLIBRI's mission of understanding complexity in living systems through transdisciplinary collaboration. Her work bridges cognitive science, social psychology, robotics, and the arts—reflecting COLIBRI's integration of research across natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities. Her focus on the emergence of social cognition and moral judgment in human-agent interactions speaks directly to COLIBRI's research themes spanning from individual to social cognition.
Dr. O'Reilly completed her PhD at the Italian Institute of Technology and holds a Master's in Biological Arts from the University of Western Australia.
Dr. O'Reilly will talk at the COLIBRI PhD seminar on 13 March (details will follow).