Bio
Yigit Topoglu is a Research Scientist at the Warfighter Effectiveness Research Center at the U.S. Air Force Academy, working in the field of human-robot interaction. He is researching how to make robots more immersive and interactive for social and collaborative environments. His research interests are focused on understanding and assessing human behavior through neural and hormonal signals, combined with behavioral and psychological measures, during naturalistic human-robot social interactions and collaborative tasks.
He completed his Ph.D. degree in 2026 after receiving his M.S. degree in 2021, both in Biomedical Engineering from Drexel University. He received his B.S. degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from Middle East Technical University in 2018. His doctoral research focused on integrating neuroimaging and neurohormonal techniques in complex human-robot interaction scenarios.
Education
Ph.D., Biomedical Engineering, Drexel University (2021-2026)
M.S., Biomedical Engineering, Drexel University (2018-2021)
B.S., Electrical and Electronical Engineering, Middle East Technical University (2014-2018)
Professional Experience
Research Scientist, U.S. Air Force Academy Warfighter Effectiveness Research Center (2026-present)
Research Assistant, Drexel University Neuroergonomics and Neuroengineering Lab (2018-2026)
Honors & Awards
Outstanding Dissertation Award, Drexel University, 2026
Dean’s Award for Best Poster Presentation, Drexel Emerging Graduate Scholars Conference, 2024
Best Student Poster Award, CogSIMA Conference, 2023
Research and Scholarly Interests
Human-Robot Interactions, Human-Machine Teaming, Cognitive Neuroscience, Interactions with AI and VR
Publications
Topoglu, Y., Krueger, F., Joshi, S., Rothstein, N., Franke, A. A., Li, X., de Visser E. J., & Ayaz, H. (2026). Multilevel dynamics of the brain, hormones, mind, and behavior in social human-robot interaction. Science Robotics, 11(116), eaec1762.
Topoglu, Y., Watson, J., Suri, R., & Ayaz, H. (2019, June). Electrodermal activity in ambulatory settings: A narrative review of literature. In International Conference on Applied Human Factors and Ergonomics (pp. 91-102). Cham: Springer International Publishing.
De Visser, E. J., Topoglu, Y., Joshi, S., Krueger, F., Phillips, E., Gratch, J., Tossell, C. C,, & Ayaz, H. (2022). Designing man’s new best friend: Enhancing human-robot dog interaction through dog-like framing and appearance. Sensors, 22(3), 1287.
Kaimal, G., Carroll-Haskins, K., Topoglu, Y., Ramakrishnan, A., Arslanbek, A., & Ayaz, H. (2022). Exploratory fNIRS assessment of differences in activation in virtual reality visual self-expression including with a fragrance stimulus. Art Therapy, 39(3), 128-137.
Sargent, A., Watson, J., Topoglu, Y., Ye, H., Suri, R., & Ayaz, H. (2020). Impact of tea and coffee consumption on cognitive performance: an fNIRS and EDA study. Applied Sciences, 10(7), 2390.
Watson, J., Curtin, A., Topoglu, Y., Suri, R., & Ayaz, H. (2025). Cognitive control and prefrontal neural efficiency in experienced and novice e-gamers. Brain sciences, 15(6), 568.