Laura Boccanfuso

Laura Buccanfuso is the CEO of Van Robotics, a consumer electronics company that develops social robots using AI-enabled technology for high-impact math and reading tutoring. Van Robotics' mission is to deliver highly personalized and engaging learning for students to build confidence and core skills mastery. Boccanfuso also aligns herself with this mission; her long-term goal is to leverage the potential of robots and other technologies to improve the lives of individuals with learning, social, and communicative challenges.

ABii is Van Robotics' smart robot, built from decades of research in social robotics and educational intervention at leading companies and universities. ABii is worldwide, living in 36 states and 8 countries and aiding K-8 students in their studies. Van Robotics is committed to supporting classroom teachers and students using highly engaging, confidence-building, adaptive instruction.

Prior to Van Robotics, Buccanfuso worked as an associate research scientist at Yale University during her post-doctorate studies, where she researched the social dynamics of learning and designed and built custom robots and novel human-robot interactions to benefit children with social and communicative learning challenges. Buccanfuso received her Bachelor of Arts in communication from George Mason University, Master of Science in computer science at Bowling Green State University, and completed her Ph.D. in computer science and engineering at the University of South Carolina.