Dr. Vanessa Camilleri is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Artificial Intelligence, Faculty of ICT, University of Malta, where she specialises in AI in Education, Intelligent Interfaces and Human Computer Interaction as well as AI Ethics. Her research focuses on the intersection of emerging technologies and education, particularly exploring Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) applications for behavioural change and empathy development. She has pioneered several groundbreaking projects using VR as an empathy machine, including initiatives to help educators better understand autism spectrum conditions and support mental health nurses in understanding schizophrenia. As Principal Investigator for projects like SWIM-360 and DIVE, she continues to push boundaries in multimodal explainable AI and intelligent video evaluation. Dr. Camilleri is also deeply committed to democratising AI education, having authored a practical guide that innovatively teaches AI concepts through traditional games. Her work extends beyond academia through extensive community engagement, including regular contributions to public discourse on AI ethics and technology's societal impact. As Chair of the Faculty of ICT Committee for Outreach, she actively works to bridge the gap between advanced technology and public understanding, particularly focusing on engaging young people with AI concepts. Dr. Camilleri holds a PhD from Coventry University, where her research examined virtual worlds in pre-service teacher training, and continues to be a prominent voice in the evolution of educational technology and AI ethics in Malta and internationally.
