Overview
Background
Dr Chelsea Dobbins is an Associate Professor within the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) at The University of Queensland. She has a background in Software Engineering with expertise in Digital Signal Processing, Applied Machine Learning, and Human–Computer Interaction.
Her research focuses on the use of sensing technologies and intelligent data analysis to understand behaviour, emotion, and wellbeing, with applications spanning both human and animal contexts. In addition to her work on emotion detection using smartphones and wearable sensors within personal informatics and digital health, her research increasingly explores the use of computational technologies for animal conservation and welfare, including the application of machine learning, and mobile/embedded sensing to monitor behaviour and environmental interactions in animals.
Her work intersects areas such as affective computing, pervasive computing, digital health, conservation technology, bio‑inspired sensing, human–computer interaction, mobile and wearable sensors, and physiological computing.
Availability
- Associate Professor Chelsea Dobbins is:
- Available for supervision
Fields of research
Qualifications
- Bachelor (Honours) of Science (Advanced), Liverpool John Moores University
- Doctor of Philosophy, Liverpool John Moores University
Research interests
-
Lifelogging and Affective Computing
My research interest lies at the intersection of lifelogging and affective computing, focusing on the use of mobile and wearable sensing technologies to capture continuous, real‑world data about behaviour, context, and experience. I investigate how multimodal lifelog data—such as physiological, behavioural, and contextual signals—can be analysed using signal processing and machine learning techniques to automatically detect and model emotion in naturalistic settings. This work aims to support a deeper understanding of affect, wellbeing, and long‑term patterns of experience within everyday life.
-
Human-Computer Interaction (HCI)
My research interest in Human–Computer Interaction focuses on the design and evaluation of interactive systems that leverage mobile, wearable, and sensing technologies to support human understanding, reflection, and wellbeing. I am particularly interested in how users engage with data‑driven systems in everyday contexts, and how human‑centred design principles can be applied to make complex sensor‑based and intelligent technologies interpretable, usable, and meaningful.
-
Technology for Wildlife Monitoring and Conservation
My research interest focuses on the use of computational and sensing technologies to support animal conservation and wildlife monitoring. I investigate how signal processing, machine learning, and mobile or embedded sensing systems can be applied to collect and analyse data on animal behaviour and environmental context in natural settings. This work emphasises non‑invasive, ethically informed, data‑driven approaches to understanding movement, behaviour, and wellbeing, with the aim of informing conservation and wildlife management practices.
-
Digital Health
My research interest in digital health focuses on the design and application of mobile, wearable, and pervasive technologies to support the monitoring, understanding, and improvement of health and wellbeing in real‑world settings. I investigate how multimodal sensor data can be analysed using signal processing and machine learning techniques to model behavioural and physiological patterns, with the aim of enabling early detection, personalised insights, and human‑centred digital health interventions.
Research impacts
Featured in Magazines
New Scientist ("Lifelogging: Even your home appliances could do it," Issue 2951) and Times Higher Education (issue 2137).
Media Coverage of Research Outputs
Case study featured on Shimmer's website.
Works
Search Professor Chelsea Dobbins’s works on UQ eSpace
2012
Conference Publication
Capturing and sharing human digital memories with the aid of ubiquitous Peer-to-Peer mobile services
Dobbins, Chelsea, Merabti, Madjid, Fergus, Paul and Llewellyn-Jones, David (2012). Capturing and sharing human digital memories with the aid of ubiquitous Peer-to-Peer mobile services. 2012 IEEE International Conference on Pervasive Computing and Communications Workshops, Lugano, Switzerland, 19-23 March 2012. Piscataway, NJ United States: IEEE. doi: 10.1109/percomw.2012.6197595
Supervision
Availability
- Associate Professor Chelsea Dobbins is:
- Available for supervision
Looking for a supervisor? Read our advice on how to choose a supervisor.
Supervision history
Current supervision
-
Doctor Philosophy
Volume and Flow assessment of fluids through micro-vibration characterisation: application towards Cardiovascular Health
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Antonio Padilha Lanari Bo
-
Doctor Philosophy
Detection of negative emotions using wearable sensors
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Catherine Haslam
-
Doctor Philosophy
Improved Safety and Optimize Productivity with AI in a Manufacturing Environment
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Mehmet Kizil
-
Doctor Philosophy
A mobile health intervention for promoting light and moderate intensity physical activity among young cancer survivors
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Stephen Viller
-
Doctor Philosophy
Augmented Human Operations: Using XR and AI in Remote Challenging Environments
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Jarrod Knibbe, Associate Professor Maxime Cordeil
Completed supervision
-
2026
Doctor Philosophy
Development of Cognitively Adaptive Training Systems in Virtual Reality
Principal Advisor
-
2024
Doctor Philosophy
Integrating Wearable Devices into the Patient-Centred Digital Healthcare Environment
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Juha Toyras
-
2022
Doctor Philosophy
Development of a Wearable Sensor-based Ergonomic Monitoring System for Aviation Manufacturing Workers
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Matthew D'Souza
Media
Enquiries
For media enquiries about Associate Professor Chelsea Dobbins's areas of expertise, story ideas and help finding experts, contact our Media team: