Cristina Conati
Cristina Conati researches human-centered AI, user modeling and personalized interaction. Her training includes study in Milan and Pittsburgh, where she received her doctorate in 1999. She joined UBC that year and later became a professor. Her work models people’s skills, needs and other states to guide intelligent interfaces, including tutoring systems, while examining transparency and user control. AAAI elected her a Fellow in 2024 for human-centered AI and personalization. Her work also includes visualization.
- Works
- 294
- Citations
- 8,548
- h-index
- 47
Publication numbers from OpenAlex, as of 14 October 2026.
Timeline
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1988–1999
Study and early research
Conati completed a Milan master’s degree in 1988, worked at Italy’s IRST and later studied at Pittsburgh, receiving her doctorate in 1999. She also held a 1992 research-programming role at Carnegie Mellon. These roles were steps into AI and interaction research.
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1999–2016
An academic career at UBC
Conati joined UBC as an assistant professor in 1999. She was an associate professor from 2006 to 2016 and a professor from 2016. Her research brings together AI, human-computer interaction and cognitive science to study systems used by people.
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Research career
Predicting and supporting users
Conati’s work models user states, skills, needs and emotions to support personalized interaction. Her work also addresses prediction, transparency, user control and trust. These are research goals and methods.
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2024
AAAI fellowship
AAAI elected Conati a Fellow in 2024. Her fellowship recognizes her work on human-centered AI and personalization, particularly intelligent tutoring and visualization. She received a Humboldt research fellowship in October 2024.
Sources and credits
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