When the robotics engineering field that Maja Matarić wanted to work in didn’t exist, she helped create it. In 2005 she helped define the new area of socially assistive robotics. As an associate professor of computer science, neuroscience , and pediatrics at the University of Southern California , in Los Angeles, she developed robots to provide personalized therapy and care through social interactions. Maja Matarić Employer University of Southern California, Los Angeles Job Title Professor of computer science, neuroscience, and pediatrics Member grade Fellow Alma maters University of Kansas and MIT The robots could have conversations, play games, and respond to emotions. Today the IEEE Fellow is a professor at USC. She studies how robots can help students with anxiety and depression undergo cognitive behavioral therapy. CBT focuses on changing a person’s negative thought patterns, behaviors, and emotional responses.…