Sophie Sakka is a full professor at the National Superior Institute for Inclusive Education (INSEI, France) since 2023. Her research profile is multidisciplinary, related to cybernetics between human and robotic systems, particularly applied to social identity and learning capacity. She had initial training in Solid Mechanics (UPMC, 1997), specialized in robotics (Ph.D., UPCM, 2002), specialized in humanoid robotics (post-doctorate, AIST-Tsukuba, Japan, 2003-05), specialized in biomechanics human (Associate Professor, University of Poitiers, 2005-16). She set up the real-time imitation of human movements by a humanoid robot during a guest researcher stay at IIT-Genova (Italy, 2006-07), and continued this work at IRCCyN (associate researcher, 2010 -16) and Centrale Nantes (Associate Professor, 2016-22). In 2014, she founded the non-for-profit organization “Robots!”. One of its objectives was to carry out experiments in social robotics in society, to finance them, to perpetuate them, and above all to involve the general public in the reflection around the social change associated with the robotization of society. For her commitment and high-impact results with autistic and Alzheimer’s audiences, she was elevated to the rank of Knight of the National Order of Merit in 2016. Her recent projects focus on the cognitive applications of social robotics applied to autism spectrum disorders and active learning processes of individuals.Â
