Dr. Pooja Viswanathan is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Western University. She completed her B.Math. in Computer Science (Bioinformatics) at the University of Waterloo, earned her Ph.D. in Computer Science (Assistive Technology) from the University of British Columbia, and completed postdoctoral training at the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute. She is also Co-founder and CEO of Braze Mobility, where her research led to the development of the world's first commercial blind spot sensor system for wheelchairs. Her work bridges engineering research and real-world translation, with a focus on developing intelligent technologies that improve people's lives.

Dr. Viswanathan's research advances adaptive physical AI—intelligent systems that perceive, reason, and adapt to people, their abilities, and their environments. Her lab combines artificial intelligence, robotics, computer vision, machine learning, and human-robot interaction to develop intelligent systems that work in partnership with people rather than replacing them. A defining characteristic of her research is the integration of engineering with user-centered design and mixed methods research, enabling the development of technologies that are not only technically robust but also usable, trusted, and responsive to individual needs.

Her work is motivated by challenges in mobility, rehabilitation, aging, and accessibility, where complex, dynamic environments demand AI systems that can safely and intelligently collaborate with people. Through interdisciplinary collaboration with clinicians, rehabilitation researchers, and people with lived experience, her research seeks to advance the fundamental engineering of adaptive autonomy, multimodal perception, shared control, and personalized intelligent systems while translating these advances into technologies that improve independence, participation, and quality of life.

Her research and entrepreneurial leadership have been recognized through numerous awards and honours, including an AGE-WELL EPIC Early Career Researcher Fellowship, being named one of Canada's Top 100 Most Powerful Women by WXN, a BMO Entrepreneur, and one of RoboHub's 50 Women in Robotics You Need to Know.

**Fully-funded graduate positions are currently available, so please email your CV if you are interested.**