Rébecca Kleinberger
(she/her)
Assistant Professor, Director of the INTERACT Animal Lab, Interdisciplinary with the College of Arts, Media and Design

Research interests
- Animal–computer interaction
- Technological enrichment for zoo animals
- Human–computer interaction
- Voice technology
- Assistive technology
- Music technology
Education
- PhD in Media Arts and Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- MS in Media Arts and Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- MS in VR and Computer Graphics, University College London — United Kingdom
- MS in Mechanical Engineering, Ecole National Supérieure des Arts et Métiers — France
Biography
Rebecca Kleinberger is an assistant professor in the Khoury College of Computer Sciences and the College of Arts, Media and Design at Northeastern University, based in Boston.
Kleinberger's work mixes science, engineering, design, and art to craft experiences for vocal connection and to facilitate enriching animal–human interactions. To do so, she incorporates neurology, human–computer interaction, psychology, linguistics, assistive technologies, and a smattering of other fields.
Prior to joining Northeastern, Kleinberger worked as an affiliate researcher at MIT Media Lab and the McGovern Institute of Technology. She has published her work in a number of prestigious international journals and venues, and has been featured in popular press outlets from the New York Times to CNN.
Labs and groups
Projects
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Auditory Seasoning
Lead PI: Rébecca KleinbergerCo PIs: Akito van Troyer (Berklee College of Music), Quin Janice Wang (University of Copenhagen) -
Orca Talk
Lead PI: Rébecca KleinbergerCo PIs: Jorg Rychen (ETH Zurich), Julie Semoroz, Alexander Eckerle, Richard Hahnloser (ETH Zurich) -
Sonic and Vocal Enrichment in Zoos
Lead PI: Rébecca Kleinberger
Recent publications
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Empowering Animals Through Technology: Enhancing Animal Agency in the Sound Environment
Citation: Fiona French, Dominique Potvin, Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas, Neil Evans, Azadeh Jalali, Rébecca Kleinberger, Ruedi Nager, Oluwaseun Serah Iyasere, Saeed Shafiei Sabet, Michelle Spierings, Pralle Kriengwatana. (2024). Empowering Animals Through Technology: Enhancing Animal Agency in the Sound Environment ACI, 17:1-17:5. https://doi.org/10.1145/3702336.3702354 -
Surveying The Extent of Demographic Reporting of Animal Participants in ACI Research
Citation: Lena Ashooh, Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas, Rébecca Kleinberger. (2024). Surveying The Extent of Demographic Reporting of Animal Participants in ACI Research ACI, 3:1-3:7. https://doi.org/10.1145/3702336.3702339 -
Call of the Wild Web: Comparing Parrot Engagement in Live vs. Pre-Recorded Video Calls
Citation: Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas, Jennifer M. Cunha, Rébecca Kleinberger. (2024). Call of the Wild Web: Comparing Parrot Engagement in Live vs. Pre-Recorded Video Calls CHI, 625:1-625:14. https://doi.org/10.1145/3613904.3641938 -
Ellie Talks About the Weather: Toward Evaluating the Expressive and Enrichment Potential of a Tablet-Based Speech Board in a Single Goffin’s Cockatoo
Citation: Jennifer M. Cunha, Corinne C. Renguette, Nikhil Singh , Lily Stella, Megan McMahon, Hao Jin, Rébecca Kleinberger. (2024). Ellie Talks About the Weather: Toward Evaluating the Expressive and Enrichment Potential of a Tablet-Based Speech Board in a Single Goffin's Cockatoo CHI, 627:1-627:16. https://doi.org/10.1145/3613904.3643654