From PhD to UX Research: Trust, AI, and Building a Career in Industry A talk with Umesh Krishnamurthy, Ph.D.
Online Meetup
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Thinking about a PhD, or wondering how to turn one into a career in UX? Join UX researcher Umesh Krishnamurthy for a candid talk about both.
Umesh holds a PhD in Cognitive Science from UC Merced and has worked as a UX researcher at Google and NASA Ames Research Center. He'll share how he found his way into UX, what his PhD taught him, and what he'd tell anyone considering the same path.
What he'll cover:
His story: how he ended up in UX and what the PhD experience was really like
Advice on doing a PhD:
finding the right program
balancing passion for research with practical considerations
building relationships with professors and peers
Academia vs. industry: how the research differs, and how to sell PhD work in industry interviews
AI and UX: how AI is changing the field now and where it may go in the next few years
His dissertation: a summary of his research on trust in human-robot interaction, including how a robot's appearance affects whether people would trust it in their homes
This talk is for students weighing grad school, researchers eyeing a move to industry, and anyone curious about where UX and AI are headed.
Online Meetup
Attendance is free.
No IxDF membership required.
Meet people who love design as much as you do. Together we learn new skills, grow our networks, and discover new job opportunities.
Join us to make lifelong friendships over coffee and a shared love of design! ❤️
Denver, United States
Ayka Williams
CEO & Co-founder at Swurl LLC
Denver, United States
Karson
UX Designer
An IxDF Local Group connects you with people in your city who are building and applying design skills in their work. Together, you'll strengthen your craft, expand your network, and put theory into practice.
IxDF Local Groups meet regularly in person at cafés, company offices, or creative spaces to share ideas, give feedback, run workshops, and learn from each other. Many groups also organize IxDF Design Dinners, where the conversation goes deeper over a meal. These aren't just social events. Members find collaborators, clients, job leads, and future teammates through them.
You'll also have access to a private online forum where you can get career advice, honest feedback, and support from people who understand the work.
You don't need to have a "designer" title to join. If you care about how design shapes products, careers, and organizations, you belong here.
Join and you'll discover new skills, explore job opportunities, and build relationships with people who understand the power of great design.
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Some examples of what you'll find:
Presentations from local designers, followed by Q&A
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Workshops where you work through a real design challenge together
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Coffee meetups and design dinners with open conversations about where the industry is heading
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What stays consistent is the people. You'll find designers and professionals who ask good questions, share what they know, and show up for each other between meetups too.
Yes, absolutely!
Design skills make you more effective in any role. Product managers, developers, marketers, researchers, and founders all work better when they understand how to think like a designer.
IxDF Local Groups reflect that. Members come from all kinds of professional backgrounds, not just design. What they share is an interest in how design shapes products, decisions, and careers.
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Learn together, get mentored, find your next job, and build friendships that grow your career.