Saba Kheirinejad

Saba Kheirinejad

Postdoctoral Fellow and UX Researcher at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC)

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Hi, I'm Saba!

Background

I am a Postdoctoral Fellow at The Population Health Intelligence Lab (PopHI-Lab) led by Associate Prof. Arash Shaban-Nejad at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC). My research focuses on designing and developing innovative user interfaces and dashboards. My work aims to enhance system usability and effectiveness, with a strong emphasis on human-centered design principles and health informatics.

Previously, I pursued my PhD in Computer Science and Engineering at the Center for Ubiquitous Computing at the University of Oulu, under the supervision of Associate Prof. Simo Hosio. I had the privilege of being a visiting graduate scholar at the Tech4Good Lab, led by Assistant Prof. David Lee, at the University of California, Santa Cruz, during 2023 and 2024. Before that, I had the privilege of being a visiting PhD student at Media Informatics and Human-Computer Interaction Groups at LMU Munich, Germany under the supervision of Prof. Albrecht Schmidt, and Assistant Prof. Sven Mayer, during 2022.

I'm deeply passionate about Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and love exploring how people interact with technology. Whether it's through numbers or stories, I enjoy using both quantitative and qualitative research methods to uncover insights. My goal is simple: to create technologies that make a difference in people's lives.

Research interests: Human-Computer Interaction, User Experience Research, Mobile Health, Data Analysis, AI, and Social Computing.

Current Projects

  • Exploring the Impact of Emotional Awareness in AI-Driven Chatbots on Human Interaction.
  • Exploring Communal Gratitude in Online Communities.

News

  • April 13, 2025: Attended the third annual Bay Area HCI gathering at UC Berkeley.
  • April 1, 2025: I began working as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the PopHI Lab at The University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC).
  • Dec 5, 2024: Attended the 2nd Annual UCSC Computational Media Industry Advisory Board Meeting at the UCSC Silicon Valley Campus in Santa Clara.
  • Dec 3, 2024: Gave a talk at the UCSC Computational Media group at UCSC Silicon Valley Campus, Santa Clara.
  • Nov 15, 2024: Defended my PhD thesis on November 15, 2024! Hooray, I’m officially a doctor now! 😊
  • Oct 21-23, 2024: Attended the 2024 Halfway to the Future Symposium in Santa Cruz, California.