Experience

UX Research | Meta Reality Labs (via Russell Tobin) | 2023-present
Lead UX research shaping the future of AR glasses and neural wrist wearables, including Meta Ray-Ban Display Glasses & Neural Band

• Multi-year UX research program execution & management: Designed and scaled an extended wear research program, directly shaping hardware and UX decisions for Meta’s Neural Band and Ray-Ban Display Glasses.

• Providing user-centered and data-driven recommendations: Synthesized mixed-methods insights (ethnography, longitudinal diaries, surveys, and usability testing) into actionable recommendations for hardware, unboxing experiences and long-term adoption, influencing product decisions across engineering, industrial design, and UX teams.

• Collaborate across multiple product teams: Partnered with multiple teams to scope and execute research on next- gen AR interactions and neutal input devices, aligning diverse stakeholders on long-term vision and near-term priorities.

• Manage external contractors: Directed multi-location vendor-led studies, ensuring consistency and quality across international research sites.

Director of UX Research | Ipsos | 2021-2023
Built and led UX research programs for emerging technologies across GenAI, XR, Metaverse, Web3 & developer tools

• Delivered end-to-end research projects for global tech clients: Led UX research projects from study design and recruitment through synthesis, using in-person ethnography, remote interviews, diary studies, journey maps, usability testing, and survey integration to guide product strategy.

• Expertise in deep tech qualitative research: Specialized in recruiting for and conducting qualitative interviews with with developers, creators, and domain experts, generating insights on adoption barriers and future opportunities in AI, XR, GenAI and Web3..

• Scaled internal expertise in advanced tech UX research through management & training: In addition to mentoring junior researchers and direct reports, I built internal expertise on UX research for GenAI and the Metaverse that enabled the organization to win and deliver new client engagements in emerging tech.

• Drove thought-leadership on UX research for emerging tech: Established Ipsos as a thought leader in UX for GenAI and XR, growing revenue and influencing industry adoption via talks, articles, and podcasts.

UX Research & Product Management | Artmatr (via Openbox) | 2020-21
Led design strategy, UX design and user testing for robotic painting startup

• Digital-to-physical image creation workflow design: Designed a seamless workflow between digital imagery and physical artifacts generated by the robotic painting technology, including categorizing painting effects into a database that informed early software prototypes.

• Beta testing community recruitment & design research: Curated a community of early adopters and carried out research to understand their creative process and experience working with the painting technology.

Research & Experience Design Advisor for multiple startups | 2023-present
User research, UX design & product market-fit advice for CEO and product strategy teams for small startups, including re:collect (an AI-driven knowledge management and creativity support tool) and Parallux (a novice-friendly spatial design tool for Metaverse experiences)

Leading various community groups & program committees | 2015-present
Founded and contributed to many academic and industry groups to help the community build connections and knowledge around broader artistic, creative & societal considerations for design & tech (see Program Committees section below).

Education

MIT Media Lab (USA) | 2012-20
PhD & Masters in Media Arts and Sciences (SM)

Royal College of Art & Imperial College (UK) | 2007-09
Masters in Industrial Design Engineering (MA) & Mechanical Engineering (MSc)

University of Bristol (UK) | 2003-07
Masters in Aeronautical Engineering (MEng, First class)

Program Committees

Royal Society for Arts (RSA) Ambassador (2019-2020) 

Representative for the Boston chapter of the RSA, an active community of problem solvers that aims to tackle big social and technological issues through virtual salons, online thematic networks and coalitions for change.

Festival of Learning conference co-chair, MIT Media Lab (Jan 2019)

Co-chaired the rejuvenation of the Festival of Learning, a day-long Media Lab community-created event that
enabled students, staff, and faculty to connect and learn from each other outside of their daily academic interactions.

Tools of Design track chair, Design Research Society conference (2018)

Reviewed papers, selected reviewers and organized authors to present academic research related to design tools.

Embodied Potentials Salon founder, MIT (2016-2018)

Founded and ran a discussion group that explored how various approaches to perception, communication, affordances and interaction can help us design more human-centered technology.

Biotech and Art panel co-chair, MIT Hacking Arts festival (2016)

Co-led the search and organization of a panel around bio-tech and art for Hacking Arts, a festival that brought artists, engineers, and entrepreneurs together to ignite cross-disciplinary innovation at MIT.

Award selection committee, Center for the Arts at MIT (2015-2019)

Student representative on the CAST visiting artist selection committee that funded dozens of faculty arts projects and brought world-renowned artists such as musician Jacob Collier and artist Carston Höller to the MIT campus.