Dr Beste
Ozcan
Co-Founder & Design Researcher at HugLab
Nominated in the categories:
Female Founder Rising Star Award
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Dr Beste Ozcan Bio (LinkedIn)
Beste Özcan is an interdisciplinary researcher, designer and technology entrepreneur working at the intersection of human-centred design, artificial intelligence, interactive systems and child development.She is Co-Founder and Design Researcher of HugLab, a research-driven technology venture developing smart interactive companions to foster social and emotional competences in neurodivergent and neurotypical children.
HugLab's technology builds on European research projects including PlusMe and M-TWIN and includes two working prototypes, Panda PlusMe and Octopus X-8. The companions use sensory-motor play and interactive feedback to support social competences such as imitation, eye contact and joint attention, while future AI modules aim to enable behavioural monitoring and analytics.
Beste's work focuses on translating advanced research into tangible, engaging and accessible technologies that can move from experimental settings toward everyday use. Her interdisciplinary background spans design, interaction, smart devices, AI-supported systems and early intervention.
Through HugLab, she is helping build a bridge between research and practice, with the long-term goal of making technology-supported early intervention more personalised, scalable and accessible.
