Dr. Rafael Calvo

Biography

Rafael Calvo is internationally recognized for his cited work in design research, Human-Computer Interaction, and Intelligent Systems. He pioneered the field of Affective Computing in the late 2000s, focusing on affect detection. His contributions include foundational review articles in the Oxford Handbook of Affective Computing (Calvo 2010, Calvo 2015) and he led the innovative concept of “Positive Computing” (Calvo 2014), which promotes design that supports motivation and psychological well-being. Calvo’s efforts bridge empirical and theoretical work in motivational psychology and design, impacting both academia and industry. He has facilitated workshops with Google and advised organizations such as Honda, alongside startups like IESO Health and Mettle on designing practices that encourage healthy behaviors. His research has resulted in innovative interventions that enhance the lives of diverse populations, including adolescents with chronic illnesses, individuals with insomnia, and seniors aiming for independent living. Recently, Calvo has collaborated on projects funded by organizations like EPSRC and NIHR, focusing on AI-assisted communication and culturally appropriate language models. He has served as Chair of Design Engineering at Imperial College London since 2019, following a position as a Professor at the University of Sydney and has contributed to over 250 papers and several books in computational intelligence applications.

Research Interests

Experience