Pinky from Indonesia

Who are you and what is your background?

My name is Giuseppina Pinky Kathlea Diatmiko. I am from a small island in Indonesia called Batam. Before participating the SEED program, I studied Creative Technology at the University of Twente, The Netherlands, and IMLEX (Imaging and Lighting in Extended Reality) program, where I received a full-ride scholarship funded by Erasmus Mundus Joint Master’s Degree Program. I also worked for half a year as a data management consultant in an agroforestry company in Indonesia.

Since I was young, I have always been so passionate about technology and wanting to change the world through technology and innovation. I did my personal IT projects alongside my studies and picked up some new skills in technology, such as AI and machine learning. Now, I am a conducting my PhD research, which is related to Mixed Reality (MR), which is part of the SEED program in IMT Atlantique. I believe that I can contribute to the newest application in MR.
 

What is your PhD research/ topic about?

My research is about Immersive collaboration across time through virtual surrogates in mixed reality. I will investigate the usage of LLM in facilitating asynchronous collaborations, where two remote collaborators are situated in different countries with different time zones. The LLM will control a virtual character, which will be a representation of one collaborator who are not available at the given time. The objective of my research is to identify how to capture a person’s knowledge and priorities through LLM, control the virtual character accordingly, and evaluate how this virtual surrogate can be useful in MR collaboration. This project is an interdisciplinary project which combines computer science, cognitive and behavioural psychology, ergonomics, and social science.

What are the big challenges to be tackled and possible future impacts?

My research will address challenges in asynchronous collaborations where two experts need to be present on the same time. The research will be applied in a design task scenario, as design task requires continuous interaction, which is difficult to be achieved when two experts are located in different time zones. The research will benefit the design task in VR, because the LLM will be on behalf of the absent collaborator, allowing effective and simultaneous interaction. The LLM will be able to capture knowledge of one collaborator and present it to another collaborator. This project will become a novel approach in asynchronous collaborations, bridging the gaps in space and time.

What is the configuration of your PhD research?

I am conducting my research in IMT Atlantique, Brest and University of South Australia. In my first year, I will conduct my research in IMT Atlantique. In the second year, I will go to the University of South Australia. Then, in the last year, I will be back to IMT Atlantique. Currently, I am situated in IMT Atlantique. Every week, I have a meeting with my supervisors from both institutions remotely to discuss ideas and show progress on my research. 

After a few weeks embarked as PhD fellow at IMT Atlantique, what is your first feeling about the programme and your institution?

My first impression of conducting my research at IMT Atlantique in the past few months is that I really like the institution. My supervisors are very supportive and give me the guidance to start off my research. The fellow PhD students are very friendly and helpful. We exchange knowledge and discuss ideas. Moreover, there are many sports and art associations that helps me to become active and creative. Overall, my experience has been very pleasant to conduct research in an encouraging and innovative working environment like IMT Atlantique.

SEED program has provided me an opportunity to do research that I am passionate about. The program also helps me in achieving my career goals through its well-organized trainings. I believe that being part of the SEED program is a stepping stone to pursue my career aspiration.