Anna Ma-Wyatt

Anna Ma-Wyatt is a psychology professor at Adelaide University whose research connects visual control with human-AI and human-autonomy teaming. She earned a BA (Hons) at the University of Sydney and a PhD at Macquarie University, received a doctoral-thesis commendation, and advanced through research fellowships and Adelaide faculty roles. Her studies include rapid pointing, adaptive interfaces, dialogue that lets AI agents scaffold human inferences, and human-robot teaming for space. As Director of Astronaut-autonomy teaming at the Andy Thomas Centre for Space Resources, she leads a team planning human-machine research for future lunar landings.

Now at: University of Adelaide and Adelaide University
Badges: Loyal

Timeline

1993–2001

Degrees and a thesis commendation

She earns a BA (Hons) at the University of Sydney in 1996 and a PhD at Macquarie University in 2000. Macquarie University awards her a Vice-Chancellor’s Commendation for Doctoral Thesis of Exceptional Merit in 2001.
2001–2006

Research fellowships

She is a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Western Australia from 2001 to 2003, then a Rachel C. Atkinson Fellow at the Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute from 2003 to 2006.
2006–2014

Promotions at Adelaide

She joins the University of Adelaide as a Lecturer in 2006, becomes a Senior Lecturer in 2011 and an Associate Professor in 2014.
2018

Adaptive interfaces for human-autonomy teams

In 2018, she coauthors “Quantifying and Predicting Human Performance for Effective Human-Autonomy Teaming,” a program of work on adaptive interfaces and intelligent control algorithms for human-autonomy teams.
2019

Online control during rapid pointing

With Jessica L. O’Rielly, she tests how target-perturbation timing affects online control during rapid pointing. Their 2019 study finds that older participants correct for target changes less often despite similar correction latencies.
2021–2023

CROSSING and human-AI interaction

In 2021, she becomes a Professor at the University of Adelaide and the inaugural co-director of CROSSING, a CNRS International Research Lab in Australia. From 2021 to 2023, she is the point of contact for DAIRNet’s “Modelling, Monitoring and Moderating Human-AI Interaction” project, which proposes dialogue that lets an AI agent scaffold human inferences.
2025

A call for space teaming

In 2025, she coauthors “Robots supervising humans and humans supervising robots - a call for new concepts in human-robot teaming in space.”
Since 2024

Astronaut-autonomy director

She is a Professor at Adelaide University and becomes Director of Astronaut-autonomy teaming at the Andy Thomas Centre for Space Resources in 2024. In June 2026, her team reviews the ADAMA mission and plans a human-machine teaming mission for future lunar landings. She describes a robot that could monitor a human partner and support real-time collaboration.