Observation & Insight

In dedicating my undergraduate work and early career to the arts and humanities, I cultivated a curiosity for investigating the experiences of other cultures and perspectives. This intent to understand the world from multiple angles has not only informed my perspective on technology design and research, but has also nurtured a photography hobby, which briefly led me down a path to arts administration. The creative process I honed taking pictures has since served me well as a scientist: like the inspiration for a compelling photo, all good research questions are born of careful observation.

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Observation leads to insight. Though I sharpen my observation skills behind the lens, I rely on my decade-long yoga practice to iron out the wrinkles in my thinking and find insight into my life and the workings of the world. This introspective practice also informs my work as a human factors researcher: when I explain my behavior to myself, I better make sense of the behaviors of others. 

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After four years in fundraising at a contemporary arts center, frustrated with the inefficiencies of the nonprofit workplace, I set out on my human factors path to think systematically about the limited resources, cognitive and otherwise, we have at our disposal across industries. I apply the analytical skills of my arts and humanities background with the rigorous data-informed approaches of my Ph.D. training to arrive at creative, succinct solutions to practical problems.