Open to human factors, systems engineering & human-centered AI roles
I build systems that keep humans in the loop — and competent there.
I'm Thema — an AI Research Scientist at the Institute for Human-Centered AI at Howard University, a researcher at RITA UARC, a NASA L'SPACE proposal writer, and Project Manager at Cioré, studying systems engineering at Embry-Riddle. My work sits where human factors, autonomy, and responsible AI actually collide.
Currently working on human–AI teaming
ScrollSelected work
Research, systems, and products that had to survive contact with reality.
Every card opens a full case study — the problem as it actually presented, what I did, and what came out the other side.
Experience
Four concurrent roles, one throughline.
Research, engineering, program leadership, and federal investigation — all of it circling the same question: what happens at the seam between a person and a system that decides things.
Education
Engineering foundations, cognitive science core, systems engineering next.
From a PLTW engineering pathway through human factors and applied cognition at George Mason, to a systems engineering M.S. at Embry-Riddle focused on autonomy in aerospace.
Capabilities
What I actually do, and how deep it goes.
Self-assessed depth, stated honestly — the point is to tell you where I'm strong and where I'm still climbing.
About
I like to try new things and create.
Most recently that means systems engineering as it applies to autonomous systems in aerospace and aviation — which sounds like a mouthful, but is essentially the cross-section between AI and planes.
I'm a systems thinker and, fingers crossed, a future systems engineer. I was recently accepted into the highly selective Systems Engineering M.S. program at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, and I currently work as a human-centered AI Research Scientist at the Institute for Human-Centered AI here in DC.
I'm an unfortunate member of Gen Z — one of the last cohorts to grow up without smartphones, which means I grew up alongside the wild west that was the early internet. They call us the digital nomads. Gifted kid, straight-A student; you know how that goes.
As a kid I always wanted to know the why. Always asking questions, always demanding clarity. I'm sure my parents were sick of me for it, justifiably so. That instinct stayed, and it has shaped every chapter since — it gave me a keen awareness of how technology can both empower and endanger the people using it. Today I channel that into human-centered design and research. Plus, growing up, I thought scientists were pretty cool.
ISTP · 5w6 · blerd
Next up: a project on human–AI teaming. Stick around.
Also on my desk
- Member (MRAeS) of the Royal Aeronautical Society, supporting the Human Factors & Flight Ops subgroup.
- NASA L'SPACE NPWEE Academy, Fall 2026 — proposal team for the Lucy Mission.
- Open to volunteering across education, workforce development, human rights, environmental sustainability, racial justice, science and technology, and DEI.
Testimonials
What people say after working with me.
If we've worked together, I'd genuinely like to hear it — the form takes about a minute.
Contact
Let's talk about the seam between your systems and your people.
Open to human factors, systems engineering, and human-centered AI roles — on-site, hybrid, or remote. Also open to select consulting and volunteer work.
Location
Washington, DC–Baltimore Area
On-site · Hybrid · Remote · Willing to relocate
Currently
M.S. Systems Engineering, Embry-Riddle
B.S. Human Factors & Applied Cognition, George Mason