What inspired you to pursue a role with UCSC/GUII Lab?

During a conference where I presented my research, I attended a talk from the lab and immediately became interested, not only in the work itself but also in its broader vision. I later found a GUII Lab postdoc call aligned with my research. It focused on human-in-the-loop systems, which felt like a nice fit for my work on music co-creation, especially questions around balancing machine autonomy and creative constraints so that humans and machines can compose meaningful pieces together.

"I'd like to explore research at the intersection of games, computational creativity, digital arts, co-creation, and HCI."

How would you describe your main research focus to someone outside your field?

My research explores how games and interactive systems can help people think, learn, and make decisions together in complex situations. This can range from creative contexts, such as interactive systems for musical composition, to real-world challenges, like helping communities build resilience to natural hazards. I'm interested in how games can become spaces where people collaborate, discuss strategies, and explore different ways of responding to a problem.

How did your interests lead you to your current research area in Computational Media/HCI?

My path into Computational Media and HCI emerged naturally from my background in game design and digital arts, where I focused on building components such as 3D assets, animation, and interactive audiovisual systems. Over time, I became more interested not just in creating these systems, but in how people interact with them and what kinds of meaning, learning, and creativity emerge from those interactions. This led me toward areas like computational creativity, procedural content generation, and music co-creation; fields that sit at the intersection of Computational Media and HCI.

What has been the most rewarding or exciting moment in your research so far?

There have been several moments that felt meaningful. One was publishing my first paper as an undergraduate, about inclusive games for blind players. The idea came after I attended a game event where I saw blind players trying to play a music game similar to Guitar Hero. They had developed their own strategies to make it work, which I found very inspiring. Another important experience was attending my first international conference during my master's. There was also the first time I visited UCSC and the GUII Lab before officially joining. I spent a few days getting to know the university and the town and briefly met a few of the researchers there (although many were away attending conferences at the time). That visit gave me a clearer sense of the kind of work happening in the lab and what it would be like to collaborate with the group. 

"My path into Computational Media and HCI emerged naturally from my background in game design and digital arts ..."

What are your long-term career goals?

I'd like to pursue a position in academia and eventually establish a lab/research group, continuing to explore research at the intersection of games, computational creativity, digital arts, co-creation, and HCI. At the same time, I try to remain open to where the path might lead. However, I'm fairly certain that research would still be part of what I do in some form. I'm also interested in continuing to build strong collaborations along the way, since many interesting research directions tend to emerge through interactions with researchers from different backgrounds.

What would you say to students who are considering joining our lab?

Reach out, learn a bit about the current projects in the lab (there are always several happening at the same time) and get involved. What makes the lab special is not only the interesting projects and collaborations with academic and industry partners, but also the amazing group. It is easy to build relationships and partnerships that often continue well beyond a single project.