Natalia Russi-Vigoya is a Senior User Researcher and Research Lead for Automation at IBM, where she drives user research on automation and smart systems across industries. Dr. Russi-Vigoya earned her Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering from Texas Tech University, specializing in Ergonomics and Human Factors. Before joining IBM, she was a Senior Human Factors Engineer at KBR in NASA Johnson Space Center, contributing to research on autonomous missions, smart habitability, and exploration medical capability tools. Prior to that, she worked at HP Inc. as a User Experience (UX) and Human Factors Researcher, applying user-centered design principles to support product development across various design stages.