Debayan is currently working as the Head of UX at Valtech Mobility. His main responsibility involves overlooking the various mobility projects working with different OEMs and supporting the new business team in pitches and ideas from a UX point of view. Debayan specializes in automotive and in-car user experience design and his previous experience includes working for an automotive startup, supplier and a leading global OEM. His special interest lies in how autonomous driving and connectivity will change the way humans will interact with cars in the future “

Nolan Helmuth is an HMI researcher at the Georgia Institute of Technology who graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Design from Georgia Tech in December 2023. He focuses on analyzing user interactions to help craft beautiful ideas that have meaningful impact. With experience in various fields of design, his passion remains in product design, interaction design, and visualization. His past work includes partnered projects with companies like Delta and Cognizant along with an internship at Lowe’s Companies Inc. where he designed and launched two collections for their 2024 Product Line Review. Nolan aims to rethink the norm of automotive interior design by exploring new ways to incorporate technology that can create unique experiences within the future generations of vehicles.

Evan Lee serves as a research assistant at the Georgia Institute of Technology, working under Professor Wayne Li in the GM HMI Lab within the School of Industrial Design. He recently earned a bachelor's degree in industrial design, with a focus on digital design and product visualization. Evan’s work involves creating virtual environments that facilitate visual interactions, serving as platforms for testing and development. His background includes working as a jewelry designer and gemstone faceter, and he is now eager to expand his expertise into utilizing game engines to create aesthetic presentations and craft unique experiences.

Wayne K. Li is the James L. Oliver Professor, which is a joint position between the Colleges of Design and Engineering. Through classes and the Innovation and Design Collaboration (IDC), he leads joint teaching initiatives and advances interdisciplinary collaboration between mechanical engineering and industrial design. Endowed by School of Industrial Design alumnus James L. Oliver, II (BS ID 1965, ME 1967), the Oliver professor embodies the idea of "multidisciplinary." Li teaches students that design behavior bridges the language and ideological gap between engineering and design. Li’s research areas include ethnographic research, multidisciplinary online education, and human-machine interaction in transportation design.
Previously, Li led innovation and market expansion for Pottery Barn seasonal home products, was an influential teacher in Stanford University’s design program where he taught visual communication and digital media techniques, led “interface development” in Volkswagen of America’s Electronics Research Laboratory, and developed corporate brand and vehicle differentiation strategies at Ford Motor Company.
He received a Master of Science in Engineering from Stanford University, and undergraduate degrees in Fine Arts in Design and Mechanical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin.

Anu Jose is part of the North American Mobility division of F&S, with more than 8 years of dedicated research and consulting experience into CASE (Connected + Autonomous + Electric Vehicle) technologies. Known for her data analytics skills and ability to synthesize complex data into actionable recommendations, Anu has a proven track record of helping major North American OEMs and Suppliers make informed decisions and drive growth. Prior to F&S, she was part of the team creating a global connected car platform for a major Asian vehicle OEM.

The Pop in Your Job:
The best thing about being consultants in the automotive industry is the opportunity to make a significant impact by helping clients navigate this dynamic landscape. We get to stay up to date with the cutting-edge technologies and work with the latest advancements clients make in them.
As Automotive SMEs, we often get presented with unique problems that require strategic solutions which makes our day-to-day job intellectually stimulating. Our advice and recommendations can directly impact the success and growth of our clients' businesses and seeing them thrive can be highly rewarding.

Susan leads and plans usability research through a variety of methodologies such as clinics, focus groups, surveys and more. She specializes in the usability of ADAS and climate research but has a background doing customer experience and ergonomics as well. She has worked in everything from the medical device industry to consulting across the globe before landing in the automotive industry.

The Pop in Your Job:
I’m passionate about making things easy to use and getting people to use them as they are intended! My goal is to make our vehicles easy to use while being safe and fun to drive. I also love to bake so following a recipe to get the intended results…a delicious treat!!

David Mitropoulos-Rundus is Senior Engineer for User Experience, Usability and Driver Distraction at Hyundai American Technical CenterH since 2014. He is optimizing the user experience for drivers and passengers amid the evolving introduction of functions, devices, and applications that may be integrated in cars, with a focus on multimedia, communications, navigation and other features that assist or distract the driver. Redesign functions and tasks so that driver interactions are secondary, tertiary, and minimize driver distraction. Stay abreast of new and evolving technologies, Driver Distraction research, and User Experience standards and best practices for design.