President: Steven Ford
Steven Ford is a fourth year student in the Human Factors and Cognitive Psychology Ph.D. program. His main research interests broadly focus on visual cognition and user experience research. Aside from being the chapter President, he is also the manager of the Industry-Based UX Academy (iUXA) at UCF and a User Experience Researcher for American Plant Exchange. He is also a devoted husband, father, guitar enthusiast, and constant reader of Stephen King.
Vice President: Allison Garibaldi
Allison Garibaldi is a 5th year student in the Human Factors and Cognitive Psychology PhD program. She works with Dr. James Szalma in the Performance Research Lab, investigating the effects of the human need to belong on vigilance performance and social media use. She is also known as the Mother of Cats, Queen of the Extroverted Introverts, and Defender of the Real Housewives as Quality Television.
Vice President: Natalie Paquette
Natalie is a doctoral candidate in Human Factors and Cognitive Psychology at the University of Central Florida. She works with Dr. Joseph Schmidt investigating the neural underpinnings of memory and attention to assess how they affect broader cognitive function. She received her M.A. in Applied Experimental & Human Factors Psychology from UCF while pursuing her PhD. She previously received an M.A. in Psychology with a concentration in Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience from George Mason University. When she is not doing schoolwork you can find her at the gym, outdoors, or binging Gilmore Girls with her black cat Sesame.
Treasurer: Kristen Schmidt
Kristen Schmidt is a third-year student in the Human Factors and Cognitive Psychology PhD program. She works with Dr. Valerie Sims in the Applied Cognition and Technology lab with research on topics such as usability in controller design, perceived control, human-animal interaction, and anthropomorphism. In her spare time, she enjoys creative writing, yoga, and playing tabletop games and video games.
Secretary: Gabriela Flores-Cruz (Gabby)
Gabby is a second-year student in the Human Factors and Cognitive Psychology PhD program. She is currently investigating the role of risk perception in air pollution with Dr. Nelson Roque in the Context Lab. When she is not in the lab, she is at home playing on her Nintendo Switch or scrolling too much into deep Tik Tok. Her son (cat), Pablito, likes to help her with her homework by stepping on her laptop. He also likes to meow outside her bedroom door at 4 am.
Outreach Chair: Mira Gruber
Mira Gruber is a third-year Human Factors and Cognitive Psychology PhD student. She is under the advisement of Dr. Peter Hancock and is a member of the MIT2 research laboratory. Previously, Mira attained her BA in Psychology with a second major in Philosophy at James Madison University. Her primary research interests are social dynamics during video-mediated communication and human-robot interaction.
Social Chair: Sean Hinkle
Sean Hinkle is a 2nd year student in the Human Factors and Cognitive Psychology PhD program. He works with Dr. Corey Bohil in the Classification and Decision Lab, and is currently researching physiological and behavioral measures of spatial presence in virtual and real environments. His personal interests include, but are not limited to, golf, meditation, video games, tea, guitar, and saying “big yawn” to his cat (Daisy).
Historian: Fiona Duruaku
Fiona Duruaku is a second-year Human Factors and Cognitive Psychology PhD student. She is under the advisement of Dr. Florian Jentsch and is a member of the Team Performance Research laboratory. Previously, Fiona attained her MS in Aeronautical Science from Middle Tennessee State University and a BA in Educational Psychology from University of Benin, Nigeria. Her primary research interests are in User Experience Research, Usability, Privacy & Security and Human-Computer Interaction.
Webmaster: Yazmin Diaz
Yazmin Diaz is a second-year Human Factors and Cognitive Psychology PhD student under the advisement of Dr. Peter Hancock and is the lab manager of the MIT2 research laboratory. Her primary research interest is on the role of Human Factors and Cognition in educator training and approaches to teaching, with a particular focus on grades 6-12th. Her personal interests include spending as much time as possible with her family, watching movies, and making stuff.