 My name is Agnes Akiatti. I come from Italy and I'm a second year PhD student in the Open University's Knowledge Media Institute. My research is about building AI systems and programs that are more visually intelligent. I focus specifically on robotic applications so in that context we're trying to develop robots that can better make sense of their environment. We're building Hans, the Health and Safety Robot Inspector and the idea is to have this robot patrolling the lab and the workplace and spot any dangerous situations that might arise. It can be a cable dangling in the middle of a corridor or an emergency exit that hasn't been correctly labeled. The PhD has given me a great opportunity to borrow lessons and methods from different disciplines and also a great deal of flexibility to always experiment with something new. Also I'm really passionate about using technology to improve people's lives. There are already cases in this pandemic where robots have been used for example in hospitals to create a less intimidating interface for patients to interact with nurses and NHS staff but there are many other cases where robots can be of service to people and that's what really drives me forward. I'm a woman in STEM and I also come from a different cultural group and still I felt really engaged and welcomed since the very beginning. Another thing I really appreciate is the importance that DOU places around well-being and achieving a really good work-life balance. European University is certainly the best place to start this type of journey.