Scholarly Eagle Shares Research, Dissertation and Career Insights

After earning her B.A. in Psychology from Keene State College, Jessyca Derby (’20, ’23) came to Embry‑Riddle Aeronautical University to earn her M.S. and then Ph.D. in Human Factors, which she said aligned nicely as a follow-up to her undergraduate coursework.

“[Psychology] was something that I knew I really wanted to do because I loved the whole cognitive aspect. I was learning about psychology - the ways that people think,” Derby shared. “But I also was taking computer science courses that were a bit more leaning towards engineering, and I was like, ‘I love building things and I love psychology, so how do I merge the two?’”

After learning from her undergraduate advisor about the opportunities in human factors, Derby was immediately interested and eventually began her master’s and Ph.D. journey in the field.

"Because I was accepted into the Ph.D. program after I got my bachelor's degree, I don't think my experience as a master's student was the traditional route. Just as long as I got my master's, passed my qualifying exams and went through all of that I could start working on my Ph.D.,” she said, reflecting. “So, in the master's route I was already paired with my Ph.D. advisor and was doing a whole bunch of research, so that was awesome.”

Research at Embry‑Riddle

Throughout her master's program and transitioning to her Ph.D. program, Derby’s interest in completing research continued to grow.

“I actually got involved in research as an undergrad and I found that I absolutely love it. I was like, ‘how do ‘I do more of this? I want to keep doing research. I want this to be my job, my career,’” she gushed. “I love it. I don't want to stop and pursuing a Ph.D. helps me do that.”

Of all of her research at Embry‑Riddle, a few specific projects stand out to Derby as particularly exciting.

“I've been able to work on research projects focusing on physical products that are being made, as well as processes. We've worked with Fortune 500 companies and big tech. It has been very fun and valuable to work on that research, coming up with the actual research methods we're doing and the procedure, collecting the data and reporting it out to real professionals,” she shared, unable to divulge specific details because of confidentiality agreements.

Crafting a Dissertation

Like any Ph.D. student, Derby must create and finish a dissertation in order to complete her degree. She describes a dissertation as “a huge research project” and is completing her own on providing a checklist for augmented and mixed reality devices and applications that assesses standards and consistency.

“How do we create this emerging tech build? Something that people have never touched before, maybe never even dreamed up before,” she explained. “This checklist is based on research on human cognition, perception and user preferences. It’s really solving the problem of: how do we make this tech the best it can be based on how our brains and our body work?”

Essentially, she’s working to create a higher standard of ergonomics, safety and user experience for those who utilize emerging technologies.

“How do we make this the most comfortable so we don't get motion sick? How do we organize the controls and user interface so it feels natural even during the first use? And how do you balance the complexity of the tech with the user's expectations? Is it simple to understand and easy? Is it even fun?” she said, going over some concepts her checklist will cover.

“This is based on research and a checklist that practitioners who are building these devices can go through and say, ‘is this something that is covered by our app? Or is this an area that we need to develop further to make our experiences better?’”

Lab Manager Experience

On Embry‑Riddle's Daytona Beach Campus, Derby is the manager of the Research in User eXperience (RUX) Lab under Dr. Barbara Chaparro, professor of Human Factors, a role in which she helps to organize projects, coordinates lab meetings, oversees lab activities and more. She says she enjoys the managerial aspects of her role, as well as the opportunity to continuously grow her leadership experiences and skills.

Derby recommends other students get involved on campus throughout the course of their studies.

“Get involved. Human Factors, it's all about how we build tech for people - and people use technology everywhere. It touches so many different domains. You could work in consumer products, you could work in medical, you could work with research - there's such a big expanse,” she said. “I think getting involved in the department, in research, in student organizations really helps you understand and see all of the different things that are going on.”

Apart from managing the RUX Lab, Derby helped create the Human Factors and Ergonomics Mentorship program on-campus, is a member of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society and maintains her involvement in various research projects- all experiences she credits for helping her get to where she is today.

“It's also really cool that I felt like this program really encouraged me to get internships. I worked one summer at a UX consulting group in Austin, Texas, called Human Interfaces... and then last summer I had an internship with Meta Reality Labs out in San Francisco,” she shared. “Those were really, really incredible experiences that definitely helped me land a job.”

Inspiration for Success

As Derby continues to pursue greater achievement and success, she often finds inspiration in other women in STEM fields.

“I think a lot of the women around me in tech inspire me a lot, especially in this domain. I know quite a few incredible people who do awesome things and who have really made their path through their work in tech. And I'm just like, ‘you are awesome,’” she smiled. “Seeing how in tech and engineering there are not normally as many women in leadership roles. It's incredible seeing that there are quite a few women faculty members at Embry‑Riddle, as well as a few in the industry that I follow.”

Derby recently landed a job at Design Interactive in Orlando, Florida, as a research lead and plans to work there as she continues taking steps toward completing her Ph.D.