Hi, my name is Ada. I’m originally from Yunnan, China, and I’ve been living in the Netherlands (mostly in Amsterdam) for almost four years.

You might be wondering why do I have an English/European name. Well, my mom actually named me Ada after her favorite character in Cold Mountain. It’s a little unusual, but I go by both Ada and 施雨伽, feel free to call me whichever you like!

I’m a big fan of Baymax from Big Hero 6 and a final-year research master’s student aiming for a PhD in social robotics starting Fall 2026. I’m fascinated by how people perceive and interact with social robots.

Right now, I’m a research intern on a robots and social influence project led by Professor Jochen Peter, where I program multiple NAO robots, my tiny “colleagues” who never complain (well, almost).

Also, I just finished my second read of Kate Darling’s The New Breed. If you’re into social robots, feel free to reach out, I’d love to chat!

Education
  • MSc (Research) Communication Science, University of Amsterdam, 2026 (Expected)
  • BSc Communication Science, University of Amsterdam, 2024 (Graduated with honors)
Research Interests
  • Social robotics
  • Human-machine communication
  • Computational social sciences
Hobbies
  • Hiking (My dream is to land on the top of Mount Everest!)
  • Tennis
  • Ceremics
  • Country and folk music (My favourite artists are Bob Dylan and Zach Bryan)