She/Her/Hers
Welcome to Manhua's Space :)Â
I'm a Ph.D. Candidate in Industrial and Systems Engineering at Virginia Tech.
A passionate UX researcher with a background in Psychology and Human Factors Engineering. Experience in future automobile, XR interaction, library service, and information technology.
I'm a senior research scientist at Mind Music Machine Lab, Virginia Tech. I lead mixed methods research projects in automotive user experiences and mentor junior researchers on research design, apparatus, and analytical software.
I devote myself to designing transparent, explainable interfaces for end-users of Artificial Intelligent (AI) systems, especially for future automobiles to improve road safety and in-cabin user experience.
Professional Experiences
May 2022 - Aug 2022
Human Factors Research Intern
Mentor: Rose Figueroa, Ph.D., CHFP
Primary Responsibilities:
Developed a VR headset-based driving simulator for driver behavior research to support future forensics engineering analysis
Designed and conducted human-subject research, analyzed data, and translated research outcomes into scholarly papers.
Aug 2019 - Dec 2019
User Experience Research Intern
Mentor: Emily Daily, M.S.
Primary Responsibilities:
Designed and conducted monthly usability studies with 35+ participants, transformed user behavioral and attitudinal data into actionable insights, and delivered to the development team.
Initiated a wayfinding study to evaluate the navigation structures for locating books in the library, advancing the information architecture of library signage.
Education
Aug 2020 - May 2024 (Expected)
Ph.D. Candidate in Industrial and Systems Engineering
Concentration: Human Factors in Product and Systems Design
Certificate: Human Factors of Transportation Safety
Advisor: Dr. Myounghoon "Philart" Jeon
Aug 2018 - May 2020
M.S. in Information Science
Concentration: Human-Computer Interaction
Thesis: Does Artificial Intelligence Really Benefit Reviewers with Reduced Workload? A Mixed-Methods Usability Study on Systematic Review Software
Advisor: Dr. Fei Yu
Sept 2014 - June 2018
B.S. in Psychology
Thesis: Influence of negative emotions on working memory capacity of biological motion
Advisor: Dr. Zaifeng Gao