Research Fellow · Monash University

Rakesh
Patibanda (PhD)

Senior researcher and product leader working at the intersection of HCI, embodied technology, and human behaviour. I turn complex evidence into strategies that ship – across academia, healthcare, education, and entertainment.

View CV [PDF] Research Portfolio → Industry Portfolio →

Dr. Rakesh Patibanda

About

I work where rigour and commercial impact meet.

I have led research programs producing award-winning publications while shipping products that moved real metrics. The range is intentional — the best product decisions live at the boundary between disciplines.

Monash University Nottingham MRL ACM SIGCHI BreathingLabs

What I do

The full spectrum — research to delivery

🔬

Mixed-Methods Research

65+ peer-reviewed publications. I define research programs, not just studies — with findings that are both publishable and actionable.

🎯

Product & Service Design

I translate research into products — from gamification systems to credentialing tools and data pipelines serving 400+ programs.

⚡

Emerging Technology

EMS, AR/VR, biosensors, brain-computer interfaces — always evaluated rigorously in real-world settings before being claimed as solutions.

Impact

50+
Peer-reviewed publications at CHI, DIS & TEI
50%
Engagement lift — 7 Cups of Tea
40%
Error reduction — Cred Finder, RMIT
2×
ACM CHI Best Paper — top 1% globally
  • ★
    Best Paper ×2 — ACM CHI 2018 & 2024 Top 1% globally
  • 📈
    50% engagement surge — 7 Cups Research applied to commercial product
  • 🎓
    VC Commendation — Monash 2024 Highest doctoral honour
  • 💡
    $7M+ research & commercial funding Combined career total

"Visionary HCI researcher and product leader bridging embodied technology and commercial impact – from award-winning academic work at CHI to measurable engagement lifts in live products."

— Dr. Rakesh Patibanda · Research Fellow, Monash University

Featured Work — Research & Industry

Select publications & case studies

ACM CHI · 2024

PsiNet: Brain-to-Brain Interfaces for Augmenting Inter-Brain Synchrony

Semertzidis, Vranic-Peters, Patibanda et al. Toward understanding the design of novel brain–computer interfaces for social cognition.

★ Best Paper — Top 1%
ACM CHI · 2018

Experiencing the Body as Play

Mueller, Byrne, Andres & Patibanda. Foundational framework for body-as-play design, shaping a decade of embodied interaction research.

★ Best Paper — Top 1%
ACM CHI PLAY · 2023

Auto-Paizo Games: EMS-Actuated Games that Move Your Body for You

Patibanda, Hill, Saini, Li, Chen et al. A new genre of games where EMS merges physical body with virtual game world.

★ Best Interactivity
ACM CHI · 2022

Fused Spectatorship: Feeling What Athletes Feel

Patibanda, Andres, Semertzidis et al. Leveraging physiological sensing to bridge the experiential gap between athlete and spectator.

ACM CHI · 2020

Drone Chi: Somaesthetic Human-Drone Interaction

La Delfa, Baytas, Patibanda, Ngari, Khot & Mueller. Contemplative, somaesthetically-informed human-drone interaction design.

★ Honorable Mention
Foundations & Trends · 2022

Human–Computer Integration

Mueller, Semertzidis, Patibanda et al. Comprehensive framework for integrating the human body with the computational machine. Vol. 16.

View all 65+ publications on Google Scholar →

Get in touch

Let's work together.

Whether you need a research collaborator, UX strategy partner, keynote speaker, or PhD supervisor — I'd love to hear from you.

Email me Research Portfolio → Industry Portfolio →
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