Elizabeth initially trained as an electrical and electronic engineer at Canterbury University to pursue her interest in robotics. She then worked at Transpower, Électricité de Tahiti, and Robotechnology. After becoming interested in the psychological aspects of robots and in psychoneuroimmunology, she obtained her MSc and PhD in health psychology. She was a visiting academic at the school of psychology at Harvard University and in the Program in Science, Technology, and Society at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston, USA in 2010. In 2017, she returned to Boston with a Fulbright award to study companion robots. Elizabeth is known for the development of the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire, drawing assessments, and illness perception interventions. In the technology space, Elizabeth is particularly interested in the emotional connections we form with robots, and how we can build emotional intelligence and empathy skills in robots, to help support patients. This research extends to virtual humans, an advanced form of computer agent with artificial intelligence. Elizabeth's work has been supported by grants from many agencies including the Health Research Council, Auckland Medical Research Foundation, Heart Foundation, Oakley Mental Health Research Foundation, Maurice and Phyllis Paykel Trust, and the Foundation of Research Science and Technology. Her research has featured in the New York Times, Scientific American Mind, the Guardian, Time magazine, the BBC World Service, and other media.
