Robin Cohen

Robin Cohen conducts research in the artificial intelligence subfields of multiagent systems, user modeling and intelligent interaction. Most recently the focus of her research has been on modeling trust in multiagent systems, with connections to social networking and to applications of electronic commerce. She has also been exploring trust modeling for the application of transportation (in mobile vehicular ad-hoc networks) and in the context of peer-based intelligent tutoring systems.

Most recently, Professor Cohen has been developing an approach to engender trust in multiagent systems, working with Thomas Tran. This enables a more complete viewpoint of the dynamics of trust modeling, examined from the perspective of the agent who is being modeled.

Other research has focused on the topic of multiagent resource allocation with preemption, conducted with John Doucette and Graham Pinhey, for cooperative environments. The challenge is to enable effective coordination of agents, even with dynamic task arrivals, through a modeling and exchange of plans and their utilities.

A longstanding instructor of the social implications of computing, Professor Cohen has also recently been examining how to develop technological solutions to social problems of computers, including offering a graduate level course in this topic area.

Professor Cohen’s most recent connection to industry has arisen as result of an NSERC Strategic Research Network project known as hSITE, aimed at developing technological enhancements to improve the delivery of healthcare in both hospital and homecare settings (with lead PI David Plant (Electrical Engineering, McGill University)). She has collaborated primarily with a team of researchers at the University of Toronto (including from industrial engineering and from nursing), who in turn have connections to industrial partners, interested in exploring sensing and networking solutions for healthcare. Professor

Cohen's involvement in this project is primarily focused on reasoning about interaction with medical experts for hospital decision making.