Engineer, researcher, designer, and creator, dedicated to exploring new forms of design through state of the art technologies.

I am an Assistant Teaching Professor at the School of Engineering Design and Innovation at Penn State University. I teach undergraduate and graduate Engineering Design courses, integrating engineering disciplines with design theory, business, psychology, and art through project-based learning. I facilitate students’ technical depth and breadth development to solve problems related to the design of the next generation of products, systems, and services. I support the School’s efforts by designing and instructing multidisciplinary engineering courses, engaging with industry and community partners, developing and implementing global programs, and actively implementing Diversity, Equity Inclusion, and Belonging initiatives.

I have experience designing and conducting research experiments, user interviews, and data analysis. I have a strong background in artificial intelligence, human factors, machine learning, database management, robotics, prototyping, manufacturing processes, sustainable product design, design theory and methodologies, and bio-inspired design.

My current research with the Technology and Human Research in Engineering Design (THRED) group at Penn State University focuses on investigating human-computer hybrid teams that consolidate the strengths of both humans and computers to design complex engineered systems. I am responsible for developing and conducting research experiments, user interviews, questionnaires, surveys, and usability tests to understand designers’ decision-making and cognitive limitations when cooperating with Artificial Intelligence (AI).

I am involved in projects focused on conserving and handling wild fauna and flora and community development with the Ecuador Wildlife Foundation. Together, we have developed different projects, including monitoring systems, egg incubators for Condors, and temporary enclosures for rescued animals.

I completed my Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering at Oregon State University, where I worked for the Design Engineering Lab under the supervision of Dr. Irem Y. Tumer and Dr. Onan Demirel. My past research focused on understanding human-machine interactions to identify failure modes caused by humans during the early design phases. I developed a design methodology that allows engineers to determine the possible deficiencies and failure modes triggered by the user using machine learning and data mining techniques.