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Yuka Spencer
PhD Student / Researcher (ALBERT CDT)

Profile

Biography

I am currently a researcher in the ALBERT CDT, a multi-year interdisciplinary doctoral training programme, while simultaneously completing my PhD in the Psychology Department at the University of York (expected 2017). I have held two roles: researcher investigating human decision-making mechanisms, with a particular focus on how professionals can collaborate effectively with emerging autonomous robots and systems—and tutor for undergraduate students—delivering tutorials, seminars, and project supervisions. My research specifically examines applications of human decision-making in professional contexts, especially how uncertainty shapes human–AI/robot interactions.

Career

Before joining the CDT programme in York, I spent over two decades as a management consultant at one of the Big Four firms and several boutique consultancies, specialising in leadership, culture, and large-scale digital transformation. My work focused on designing and leading global change initiatives, developing leadership and stakeholder engagement solutions, and fostering behavioural change in multiple industries and sectors. These roles provided me with extensive experience in teaching, presenting, and facilitating corporate training across diverse stakeholders—from senior leaders to middle management. I independently created training materials (through required approval processes) and delivered multiple leadership academies worldwide, with a particular focus on cultivating growth mindsets, problem-solving, and behavioural change. This combination of practice-based expertise and teaching experience directly informs my approach to any teaching modules in the department, equipping me to translate academic knowledge into real-world contexts and to support learning across diverse student groups.

Departmental roles

  • Graduate Teaching Assistant (2024-present)

Research

Overview

Psychological and behavioural effects of uncertainty in task delegation to autonomous laboratory robots.

Projects

This research investigates the psychology of working with autonomous laboratory robots, focusing on how people think, feel, and behave when using autonomous systems in uncertain situations. It aims to provide a deeper understanding of the human side of human-robot interaction. Our latest literature review examines how contextual uncertainty influences the point at which researchers choose to delegate tasks to autonomous systems—particularly robots—in laboratory settings. Drawing on insights from human-robot interaction, human-to-human task delegation, and human-AI interaction, the review explores how system performance, levels of autonomy, and environmental factors interact to shape delegation behaviours. Three key insights emerge from this work: (1) experience with a robotic system is crucial for resolving uncertainty about its capabilities; (2) the ways in which uncertainty is resolved evolve as systems become more autonomous; and (3) contextual uncertainty—related to the nature of the task and the task environment—can influence delegation decisions beyond uncertainty about the robotic system itself. These findings highlight the need for empirical research on how individuals manage uncertainty in both system performance and their environment when deciding to delegate tasks. To address this, we are now setting up a series of experiments to test these insights and further explore human decision-making with autonomous laboratory robots.  

Research group(s)

Collaborators

  • Prof. Cade McCall (Supervisor, Dept. of Psychology, University of York)
  • Prof. Ana Cavalcanti (Supervisor, Dept. of Computer Science, University of York)

Contact details

Yuka Spencer
PhD Student / Researcher (ALBERT CDT)
Department of Psychology
University of York
Room PS/C/013