Research
Take a look through my research path so far
AZRAM - Augmenting Zoomorphic Robots with Affective Interactions using Mixed Reality
Research Associate 2025
Upcoming self-defined IAA project alongside Dr Mark McGill, Dr Salma Elsayed and robotics software leaders Synthiam using MR rapidly explore and expand the scope of long-term pet-like affective interactions with Zoomorphic robots.
Upcoming self-defined IAA project alongside Dr Mark McGill, Dr Salma Elsayed and robotics software leaders Synthiam using MR rapidly explore and expand the scope of long-term pet-like affective interactions with Zoomorphic robots.
Related Publications:
Soothing Sensations: Enhancing Interactions with a Socially Assistive Robot through Vibrotactile Heartbeats
Jacqueline Borgstedt, Shaun Macdonald, Karola Marky, Frank Pollick, Stephen Brewster
Soothing Sensations: Enhancing Interactions with a Socially Assistive Robot through Vibrotactile Heartbeats
Jacqueline Borgstedt, Shaun Macdonald, Karola Marky, Frank Pollick, Stephen Brewster
ARTIFY - AR Prototypiing for Advanced Manufacturing
Research Associate 2024
Working with Rami Ghannam to explore how planning of advanced manufacturing pipelines could be made more accessible and effective using a AR block-prototyping framework that uses semantically-driven logic that emulates the flexiblity of paper prototyping.
Working with Rami Ghannam to explore how planning of advanced manufacturing pipelines could be made more accessible and effective using a AR block-prototyping framework that uses semantically-driven logic that emulates the flexiblity of paper prototyping.
MetaSafeChild
Research Associate 2024
Worked with Mohamed Khamis, Mathieu Chollet and Mark McGill to explore child experiences and safety risks in social VR, and aassess how current harassment mitigations are used, abused and if they are effective.
Worked with Mohamed Khamis, Mathieu Chollet and Mark McGill to explore child experiences and safety risks in social VR, and aassess how current harassment mitigations are used, abused and if they are effective.
Related Publications
“Pikachu would electrocute people who are misbehaving”: Expert, Guardian and Child Perspectives on Automated Embodied Moderators for Safeguarding Children in Social Virtual Reality
Fiani, C. , Bretin, B. , Macdonald S.A. , Khamis, M. , McGill, M.
“Pikachu would electrocute people who are misbehaving”: Expert, Guardian and Child Perspectives on Automated Embodied Moderators for Safeguarding Children in Social Virtual Reality
Fiani, C. , Bretin, B. , Macdonald S.A. , Khamis, M. , McGill, M.
Preventing Thermal Attacks on Passwords with Machine Learning
Research Associate 2022 - 2023
Working under Mohamed Khamis to analyse, disseminate and present research exploring the security threat of thermal attacks: how thermal cameras can observe the heat traces left by fingertips on keyboards, keypads or phones and, thus, observe passwords, passcodes or patterns.
Working under Mohamed Khamis to analyse, disseminate and present research exploring the security threat of thermal attacks: how thermal cameras can observe the heat traces left by fingertips on keyboards, keypads or phones and, thus, observe passwords, passcodes or patterns.
Related Publications
In the Quest to Protect Users from Side-Channel Attacks – A User-Centred Design Space to Mitigate Thermal Attacks on Public Payment Terminals
Marky, K. , Macdonald, S.A. , Abdrabou, Y. , Khamis, M
Change Policy or Users? Mitigating the Security Risks of Thermal Attacks
Macdonald, S. A. , Farzand, H., Alotaibi, N., Islam, M. S. and Khamis, M
Conducting and Mitigating Portable Thermal Imaging Attacks on User Authentication using AI-driven Methods
Shaun Alexander Macdonald, Norah Mohsen T Alotaibi, Md Shafiqul Islam, Mohamed Khamis
In the Quest to Protect Users from Side-Channel Attacks – A User-Centred Design Space to Mitigate Thermal Attacks on Public Payment Terminals
Marky, K. , Macdonald, S.A. , Abdrabou, Y. , Khamis, M
Change Policy or Users? Mitigating the Security Risks of Thermal Attacks
Macdonald, S. A. , Farzand, H., Alotaibi, N., Islam, M. S. and Khamis, M
Conducting and Mitigating Portable Thermal Imaging Attacks on User Authentication using AI-driven Methods
Shaun Alexander Macdonald, Norah Mohsen T Alotaibi, Md Shafiqul Islam, Mohamed Khamis
ENTER Study (E-Detection Tool for Emerging Mental Disorders)
Research Assistant 2021 - 2022
Worked to support the development and dissemination of a large-scale psychological analysis tool.Completed vital components of the survey tool, designed a fully operational website prototype, from which the project's site was based, produced the studies informational video and advertising materials for the project. Handled contact form queries, administered payment.
Worked to support the development and dissemination of a large-scale psychological analysis tool.Completed vital components of the survey tool, designed a fully operational website prototype, from which the project's site was based, produced the studies informational video and advertising materials for the project. Handled contact form queries, administered payment.
Emotionally Resonant Vibrations as a Calming Intervention for Social Anxiety
PhD Research Student 2018 - 2023
PhD Thesis which investigated the use of a novel category of vibrotactile stimuli, emotionally resonant stimuli which elicit emotional responses to evoked real-world experiences, as a calming intervention for socially anxious people during social exposure. Supervised by Stephen Brewster.
PhD Thesis which investigated the use of a novel category of vibrotactile stimuli, emotionally resonant stimuli which elicit emotional responses to evoked real-world experiences, as a calming intervention for socially anxious people during social exposure. Supervised by Stephen Brewster.
Thesis
Investigating Emotionally Resonant Vibrations as a Calming Intervention for People with Social Anxiety
Shaun Alexander Macdonald
Related Publications
Prototyping and Evaluation of Emotionally Resonant Vibrotactile Comfort Objects as a Calming Social Anxiety Intervention
Shaun Alexander Macdonald, Euan Freeman, Frank Pollick, Stephen Brewster
The Impact of Thermal Cues on Affective Responses to Emotionally Resonant Vibrations
Shaun Alexander Macdonald, Frank Pollick, Stephen Brewster
User Preferences for Calming Affective Haptic Stimuli in Social Settings
Shaun Alexander Macdonald, Euan Freeman, Stephen Brewster, Frank Pollick
Eliciting Emotion with Vibrotactile Stimuli Evocative of Real-World Sensations
Shaun Alexander Macdonald, Stephen Brewster, Frank Pollick
Investigating Emotionally Resonant Vibrations as a Calming Intervention for People with Social Anxiety
Shaun Alexander Macdonald
Related Publications
Prototyping and Evaluation of Emotionally Resonant Vibrotactile Comfort Objects as a Calming Social Anxiety Intervention
Shaun Alexander Macdonald, Euan Freeman, Frank Pollick, Stephen Brewster
The Impact of Thermal Cues on Affective Responses to Emotionally Resonant Vibrations
Shaun Alexander Macdonald, Frank Pollick, Stephen Brewster
User Preferences for Calming Affective Haptic Stimuli in Social Settings
Shaun Alexander Macdonald, Euan Freeman, Stephen Brewster, Frank Pollick
Eliciting Emotion with Vibrotactile Stimuli Evocative of Real-World Sensations
Shaun Alexander Macdonald, Stephen Brewster, Frank Pollick
Tamu To-Do: Gamification of a To-Do List with Emotional Reinforcement
BSci Dissertation 2017-2018
Undergraduate dissertation investigating the use of a virtual pet integrated into a to-do list application which provides emotional reinforcement when the user is proactive or inactive in completing their tasks.
Undergraduate dissertation investigating the use of a virtual pet integrated into a to-do list application which provides emotional reinforcement when the user is proactive or inactive in completing their tasks.
Related Publications
Gamification of a To-Do List with Emotional Reinforcement
Shaun Alexander Macdonald, Stephen Brewster
Gamification of a To-Do List with Emotional Reinforcement
Shaun Alexander Macdonald, Stephen Brewster
