Dr. Navya Sharan

Researcher • Entrepreneur • Innovator

Hey, I am Navya! Welcome to my world. 👩💻✨I am a researcher, entrepreneur, and innovator fascinated by the intersection of psychology and technology. I am a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Hamburg, where I study the blend between psychology and emerging tech. 🤖 I am also the founder of The Sarg Initiative, a social startup dedicated to enhancing mental health literacy in India. 🧠Beyond my academic and entrepreneurial endeavors, I enjoy 📚 reading, 📸 photography, ✈️ travel, 🧁 baking, and ✍️ writing. Most recently, I have begun documenting my journey into the Supernatural fandom with an online fangirl diary. 📺I love connecting with fellow researchers, educators, and anyone interested in the future of technology, education, and wellbeing. Let's get these conversations going! 💬🌍

Academia & Research

I recently began my postdoctoral research in the Digitalization in Education (EW1) working group at the Faculty of Education in the University of Hamburg. My research explores the fascinating intersection of psychology and human-machine communication. Read about my research!My educational background includes a BSc (Hons, 2019) in Psychology from University College London and an MSc (with Honours, 2021) in Human-Machine Communication from the University of Groningen. I recently completed my PhD (2025) at the Amsterdam School of Communication Research (ASCoR) at the University of Amsterdam.As I build my postdoctoral scholarship, I am actively seeking collaborative research opportunities to expand my expertise in areas such as mis/disinformation, digital wellbeing, and education in digitalised societies. My passion lies in contributing to a deeper understanding of our interactions with emerging technologies in the technological age. I believe in the importance of exploring how technology shapes our thoughts, behaviors, and overall wellbeing.Aside from my extensive research experience, I have a strong background in teaching, curriculum development, and mentoring. I have developed and taught courses throughout my career, and even ran a research mentorship non-profit organisation.I post frequent updates about my research and experiences in academia on LinkedIn. Follow me there to stay up to date. You can follow my publications on all platforms using the links above.

Research Projects

How Human Are Our Machines?

How Human Are Our Machines? Rethinking How We Communicate with Social Robots.This project formed my doctoral dissertation at ASCoR, University of Amsterdam. My research built upon the Computers-Are-Social-Actors (CASA) framework. I focused on understanding how we engage with advanced social technologies, laying the foundation for future interactions. The work has been presented at local and international conferences, and has been well received.Full Dissertation & Defense
My doctoral thesis and defense are available online to read and watch.Publications
★ Sharan, N. N. et al. (2025, In Press). Robots as Social Companions? Investigating Longitudinal Companionship and Social Presence in Child-Robot Interaction. International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction.
★ Sharan, N. N., Peter, J., & van Straten, C. L. (2025). “Helping Faces”: The effect of a robot’s face on people’s reciprocal helping behavior. International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction. https://doi.org/10.1080/10447318.2025.2537780
★ Sharan, N. N., Peter, J., & van Straten, C. L. (2025). “Superhuman” Robots in Teams: The Effect of Augmented Cognitive Capabilities on Human-Robot Communication. International Journal of Social Robotics. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12369-025-01293-8Conferences
★Sharan, N. N., (2025) et al. Can Robots Become Companions? Investigating Longitudinal Companionship and Social Presence in Child-Robot Interaction [Paper presentation]. International Communication Association (ICA), Human-Machine Communication Division, Colorado, USA.
★ Sharan, N. N., (2023) et al. “Helping Faces”: The Effect of Faces in Reciprocal Helpful Behavior [Poster Presentation]. Emotions in Human-Machine Communication Workshop, Tillburg, Netherlands.

Virtual Reality & Autism Spectrum Disorders

This research was conducted for my master's thesis at the University of Groningen. The research carried out at the Enhancing Ability Lab at Cornell Tech, Cornell University (USA). The aim of this research was to understand the needs of students with ASD and develop a prototype of a virtual reality interface with accessibility features that could facilitate social interaction among these students in an educational context.Conferences
★ Sharan, N. N., (2022). Neurodiversity in Virtual Reality: Facilitating Social Interaction for Students with ASD [Paper presentation]. International Communication Association (ICA), Paris, France.

Mediated Communication & Social Presence

As a part of my graduate education, I completed an internship at a private research organisation called TNO (Netherlands). During this internship, I conducted research related to understanding and measuring holistic social presence in photorealistic mediated communication systems.Conference Publications
★ Sharan, N. N., Toet, A., Mioch, T., Niamut, O., & Van Erp, J. B. F. (2022). The Relative Importance of Social Cues in Immersive Mediated Communication. Human Interaction, Emerging Technologies and Future Systems V. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-85540-6_62
★ Sharan, N., Toet, A., Mioch, T., Niamut, O., & B.F. Van Erp, J. (2022). Measuring Quality of Mediated Social Communication. Human Interaction and Emerging Technologies (IHIET-AI 2022) Artificial Intelligence and Future Applications. https://doi.org/10.54941/ahfe100842

Trust in Artificial Intelligence

My undergraduate dissertation focused on the psychological factors that influence trust in artificial intelligence. The research was carried out at University College London (UK). This project received the PsyPAG Undergraduate Award for Bachelor’s dissertation in 2019.Publications
★ Sharan, N. N., & Romano, D. M. (2020). The effects of personality and locus of control on trust in humans versus artificial intelligence. Heliyon. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e04572

The Sarg Initiative

I am the founder of The Sarg Initiative, a social startup dedicated to enhancing mental health literacy within the educational ecosystem in India. We offer digitally delivered education programs for students, parents, and educators, and have recently launched our line of in-person workshops, the Mental Health Playbook.Currently, we are in the process of launching discussion groups for parents and caregivers of vulnerable populations (e.g., neurodiverse individuals, individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders, etc.). We are also exploring the possibility of conducting holistic mental health readiness assessments for educational institutions.If any of this sounds of interest, please reach out! We are always looking for people to join our team (in internship and other capacities), partners, and collaborators. Our email address and website are linked above.We have a variety of outreach initiatives; we spread awareness through our Instagram and LinkedIn (@thesarginitiative). We also produce the podcast, Nuts and Bolts of Wellbeing (hosted by yours truly!), and the blog, Sarg's School of Thought. 🎙️💡 You can find links to those above as well!I recently launched my op-ed blog, Research & Realities, as an offshoot to our LinkedIn - follow us there to find all the latest articles!

Creative Projects

For the last couple of years, I have found myself drawn to writing as a creative and therapeutic outlet. While much of it is not public yet, I am hoping to have some of my writing out and about in the world soon. Watch this space for more information and follow my socials (primarily @anywherebutheregirl on Instagram) for updates on my writing journey!

Fun & Fandom

In my post-PhD sabbatical, I binged Supernatural and instantly felt the need to find people I could talk to about the show. 📺 So, I created an online home to talk about all things under the very broad Supernatural umbrella. ☂️ Now, as I discover the fandom and convention culture, I post videos every other day about the show, the fans, the cast & crew, side projects, media coverage, and everything else Supernatural. 🔮More memories and pages from my fangirl diary will be coming up on this page! In the meanwhile, @anywherebutherefangirl on Instagram is the best place to keep up with my latest updates. As and when I can, videos will also trickle down to my YouTube channel. All links above!

My Online Homes

This is The World of Navya, which means that I will be updating this website with new projects, memories, and anything else I find relevant.The lynchpin connecting my various corners of the internet is my Instagram page @anywherebutheregirl, which I use both as a personal blog and a digital gallery for my (travel) photography.Beyond these, my linktree is the quickest one-stop-shop to finding me online.You can find all of these linked at the bottom of every page on this website. Catch you on the flip side! 💜