About Me
I'm a UX Researcher with a background in sociology and a passion for making complex systems usable, useful, and human-centered. At AWS, I've led research across AI, serverless infrastructure, and developer tools. Before that, I was a professor studying identity, technology, and subculture.
Recent Wins
- Led strategic UX research for AWS Lambda and Amplify focused on AI adoption and DevEx
- Built an internal AI chatbot to support ResearchOps and scale researcher enablement
- Developed an LLM-powered feedback pipeline adopted by multiple AWS teams
- Presented user insights that directly shaped roadmap, IA, and onboarding for a new enterprise Lambda feature
- Published peer-reviewed research on social media use, identity, and subcultural communities
Selected Publications
- Lifestyle Sports and Identities (Routledge, 2021)
- "From Core to Consumer" – Journal of Contemporary Ethnography (2014)
- "Authentic Subcultural Identities and Social Media" – Deviant Behavior (2019)
- "Authentic Spaces within Skateboarding and Snowboarding" – LIKES (2015)
Awards
- Title VIII Research Fellowship – U.S. Department of State
- Certificate of Appreciation – U.S. Department of State, Embassy Baku
- Editors’ Pick – Choice Reviews, 2022