Aaron Pepe, Ph.D. Email & Phone Number

Atlanta, Ga, Us

Conducted exploratory research on marine-vessel operation to identify user pain points and opportunities for machine learning and IoT-edge based solutions. Included qualitative (interviews, ethnographic research, competitor analysis) and quantitative research (data capture, analysis and visualization of temporal, spatial, energy and environmental data).Developed qualitative/quantitative research strategies and analysis protocols for government-client initiatives.

Alexandria, Virginia, Us

▪ Headed UX research and design teams for a portfolio of complex, large-scale enterprise products used in examination of 600,000 Patent applications / year.▪ Increased usability an average 26% over legacy baselines on 57 projects, overseeing interaction design for 4900+ user stories and leading UX research including 1400+ interviews and 900+ usability tests.▪ Increased agility of project UX teams by spearheading continuous research and just-in-time design practices, reducing average lead time from 9 weeks to 1 sprint, and reducing wasted effort (research/design overcome by events) by 89%.

Alexandria, Virginia, Us

▪ Conducted user research, data analysis/visualization and interaction design for a series of demonstration projects evaluating potential machine learning approaches to improve agency services.▪ Reduced time to identify Trademark image characteristics for new submissions by 62% by designing improved search and decision support tools based on insights from user interviews and cross-departmental service blueprinting.

Alexandria, Virginia, Us

▪ Reduced time to plan and launch a research study by 86% by creating a centralized agency research practice, including lab design, simplifying research approval processes, standardizing participant recruitment, and creating best practice templates / guides.▪ Overcame agency knowledge retention challenges associated with contract staffing by establishing a UX community of practice, leading cross-project user experience workshops, and creating a research repository and participant tracking system.

Rockville, Md, Us

IAI is a 100-person research and development company specializing in the areas of Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, Healthcare Research, and Modeling, Simulation & Visualization.▪ U.S. Army Telemedicine & Advanced Technology Research Center (TATRC) – Achieved high accuracy PTSD-severity classification via voice analysis for monitoring patient status between doctor visits by mapping vocal features to predicted physiological changes, conducting interviews with clinical psychologists to inform system design, and designing a voice user interface for patient data collection.▪ National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) – Achieved accurate classification of pilot engagement on long duration flights in a full motion simulator by collaborating with computer scientists on eye tracking, EEG, and ECG feature selection, and working with university partners on research methodology and data analysis.

Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania, Us

CHI Systems, Inc. is a 60-person advanced technology research company, specializing in Artificial intelligence (AI), unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), and training simulations. I led experimental research on human-robot teams and system design of narrative-based AI reasoning and communication systems. Examples:▪ Office of Naval Research (ONR) – Decreased operator workload during simultaneous missions with multiple unmanned aerial vehicles. Conducted ethnographic field research with special operations teams and designed a system of emotion-based communication. As Principal Investigator, awarded $750k in follow on funding.▪ Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) – Improved situational awareness for small tactical teams operating unmanned ground vehicles in urban operations by conducting goal directed task analysis (GDTA) research to inform human robot interaction design. As Principal Investigator, awarded $750k in follow on funding.▪ Army Research Institute (ARI) – Improved game-based cultural familiarization training by conducting experimental comparisons of in-person vs. virtual role-play with trainees and cultural experts.

Conducted research on evaluating human emotive response to collaborative tasks, cognitive appraisal, physiological responses, and vocal comparisons of human-canine and human-robot interaction.

Led design of 21 corporate web sites for businesses including: SunTrust Bank, Harcourt Publishing, and Marriott Hotels.

Orlando, Florida, Us

Designed 16 medical practice web sites using Adobe design suite for 20-person startup.

Doctor Of Philosophy - Phd, Modeling And Simulation (Human Systems)

Master Of Arts - Ma, Liberal Studies (Human Computer Interaction)

Bachelor Of Arts - Ba, Classics And Classical Languages, Literatures, And Linguistics