Résumé

*For a PDF copy of my resume, please email me .

Overview

  • Ever-curious mixed methods researcher with 10+ years of experience delivering rigorous, human-centered research for complex projects in academia & industry

  • Prioritizes human-centered, empathetic, and insightful research with data-driven results

  • Excels at collaborating with cross-functional teams in fast-paced environments and delivering results with accelerated impact

Skillset

  • Ethnography and Participant Observation

  • In-depth 1:1 Interviews

  • Diary Studies

  • User Research Recruiting

  • Competitive Analysis

  • Survey Creation, Design, and Analysis

  • Journey and Empathy Mapping

  • Persona Creation

  • Usability, A/B and Prototype Testing

  • Card Sorting

  • Focus Groups

  • Contextual Inquiries

  • Literature Reviews

  • Digital Communities

  • Data Analysis

  • Data Visualization

  • Project Management

  • Co-Design Sprints

  • International Research and Cross-Comparative Research

  • Wireframing

Toolkit

  • DScout

  • Contextmapp

  • NViVo

  • Qualtrics

  • Google Surveys

  • Figma

  • MURAL

  • Adobe Photoshop/Illustrator

  • Canva

Certifications

  • UX Foundations: Research (LinkedIn) - Issued October 2021

  • UX Foundations: Design (LinkedIn) - Issued October 2021

  • UX Research Methods: Card Sorting (LinkedIn) - Issued October 2021

  • UX Research Methods: Interviewing (LinkedIn) - Issued October 2021

Education

Ph.D. in Criminology and Sociolegal Studies (2021) - The University of Toronto

  • Dissertation specialization: Strategic Human Decision-Making in Migration Technologies

  • Anthropology Visiting Scholar appointment (2020) - Rice University

M.A. (Highest distinction) in Criminology and Sociolegal Studies (2016) - The University of Toronto

B.A. (Highest distinction) in English Literature Studies and Criminology - The University of Toronto

Research Awards

  • Cornell University Postdoctoral Researcher Award ($55,000)

  • Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Doctoral Researcher Award ($30,000)

  • Ontario Graduate Researcher Award ($30,000)

  • University of Toronto Researcher of Excellence Award ($6,000)

  • Ericson Prize for Best Research Paper ($1,000)

Languages

  • English

  • Vietnamese

Professional Experience

 

UX Researcher
(January 2021 - Present)

inkbymi & littlemichishop

  • Leverage usability tests to collaborate cross-functionally with design and sales team to inform web and mobile platform redesign, boosting user conversion rates by over 50%

  • Conduct 4 rounds of usability tests and observation with 5 users within 2-week development cycle to evaluate user conversion and purchasing decisions

  • Undertake competitive and cross-comparative analysis of purchasing decisions via two competitor platforms: Etsy and Shopify, to help CEO strategize in general direction of platform redesign

  • Create user personas and journey maps to identify and address user painpoints

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Postdoctoral Associate Researcher (September 2021 - Present)

Cornell University’s Migrations Initiative

  • Researcher for cross-disciplinary innovation team focused on idea generation and integrating new technologies such as big data in the assessment of real-world impacts of migration

  • Establish Cornell University's first Ethnography Incubator to create opportunities for applying cutting-edge ethnographic and qualitative research methods to 6 different research projects

  • Independently drive entire research process for evaluative project on USCIS Electronic Immigration System (ELIS), from defining research questions and designing approach to recruiting 100+ participants and conducting 1:1 in-depth interviews, focus groups, surveys, and contextual inquiries

  • Present deliverables at international conferences to large and diverse audiences

  • Launch and co-lead Cornell’s inaugural Migrations Summer Pathways program to engage first-generation and documented and undocumented students in multi-week research training

  • Teach upper-level courses on qualitative research methods and strategic human decision-making as it intersects with migration technologies and crime

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Doctoral Scholar and Researcher
(2016-2021)

University of Toronto’s Center for Criminology and Sociolegal Studies

  • Designed and managed award-winning 18-month ethnographic field research project in Canada, U.S., and Vietnam on decision-making processes of migrants and everyday citizens as mediated through technology

  • Conducted and transcribed 85+ interviews, 1,500+ hours of participant observation and informal interviews

  • Coded and analyzed qualitative data for patterns and connections, comparing experiences and strategic use of technology across various stakeholders including immigration officers, lawyers, consultants, brokers, migrants, and citizens

  • Presented results at international conferences

  • Taught classes and presented to audiences of 200+ individuals on qualitative and open-source investigation methods as well as data analysis

  • Awarded over $95,000 in competitive grants for research funding

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Research Collaborator and Kinder Scholar
(January 2020 - August 2021)

Kinder Institute for Urban Research

  • Conducted multilingual 1:1 interviews and 40+ hours of participant observation with 15 Houston-based stakeholders affected by global pandemic

  • Transcribed and coded qualitative data for analysis

  • Published findings in blog report on consequences of global pandemic on Houston's Vietnamese-owned nail salon business community

  • Learn More

Communications Research Assistant
(December 2019 - July 2021)

Consortium for Undergraduate Law and Justice Programs

  • Created wireframes and interactive prototypes to redesign dozens of webpages in order to deliver more intuitive, engaged, and accessible user experience

  • Conducted contextual inquiries to identify painpoints in existing user experience

  • Used card sorting to re-evaluate information architecture of website; re-organized navigation and links to ensure swifter access to key resources

  • Designed Twitter banners and newsletter templates for dissemination using Canva

  • Standardized typography, copywriting, and colour palette for consistent brand presence

Immigration Case Specialist
(2018 - 2020)

Toronto-Based Immigration Law and Consulting Firm*

*details redacted and anonymized in compliance with Research Ethics Board for fieldwork

  • Conducted contextual inquiries to identify painpoints in clients' navigation of Canadian immigration website, advocating for accessibility and transparency within the application system

  • Worked with various stakeholders including lawyers, consultants, and clients to create streamlined and user-friendly cloud database for storage of confidential supporting documents

  • Trained and mentored several incoming legal assistants; introduced them to new streamlined data management and storage database

  • Drove systematic efforts to streamline client intake process

  • Redesigned client intake system for spousal sponsorship evaluation cases

  • Designed and managed company's Facebook page to ensure consistent brand presence

  • Synthesized hundreds of cases and both academic and non-academic literature to draft and submit immigration appeals in under 2-week deadlines