I entered the world of research as a university student, getting my bachelor's degree in Cell and Molecular Biology from the University of Washington, followed by a PhD in Cognitive Psychology from UC Santa Cruz. My research journey continued with a postdoctoral project at UCSC's Computational Media Department, where I ran a social psychology exploration on how reading online forums affects people's beliefs about how others view political topics, like human causes of global warming.

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After my post-graduate work, I became a UX and Human Factors researcher for Volkswagen and Audi brands at Volkswagen Group of America. I contributed to the development of the Audi MMI touchpad and improved Audi and VW voice interface systems through usability research. Additionally, I provided interface recommendations for autonomous vehicle and ADAS systems.

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From VW Group, I worked for the EV startups SF Motors and Lucid Motors. At SF Motors, I served as a Principal HF Researcher for autonomous driving systems. At Lucid Motors, I held the position of Senior UX/UI Analyst, offering product and development guidance to a multidisciplinary design and engineering team. I led UX/Human Factors testing, worked on voice user interface design, and worked with designers to craft standardized UX design processes.

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At that point, I pivoted from automotive research into the medtech space, joining Johnson and Johnson MedTech as Principal UX Researcher, where my research with surgeons and OR techs shaped the UI, instructions-for-use, and industrial design of the Monarch Robotics platform, used in ~180 hospitals across the US.

 

After 2.5 years, I was promoted to Sr Manager of UXD, and in that role, I collaborated with various teams to prioritize and scope design work for multiple software releases in two product lines. I hired and trained new team members, while fostering their growth in the design field.​ Even after being promoted to Manager, I continued to contribute to UX Research for the team, implementing a data-driven design process to collect backend data for informing future design choices. Additionally, as the owner of instructional content copy on our robotic interface screens, I worked closely with teams to determine appropriate workflows for users in both normal and fault situations.

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My most recent role at Meta Reality Labs had me conducting foundational research on the social acceptability of AR wearables, as well as performing human factors studies for the HW UXR Team on the visual quality and thermal acceptance of working AR prototypes.