Mikki Phan

Mikki Phan is the Principal UX Researcher (Human Factors) at Apptronik, an AI-powered, human-centered robotics company specializing in the development of general-purpose humanoid robots based in Austin, Texas. In this role, she leads human factors and human-robot interaction (HRI) research for the development of humanoid robotics (e.g., Apollo). Previously, she spent over a decade leading research at Google/Alphabet across consumers and enterprise space, and spanning across software and hardware products (e.g., Firebase Analytics, Vertex AI, Google Nest). She holds a Ph.D. in Human Factors Psychology from Wichita State University, specializing in human-computer interaction (HCI) and scale validation and development. She is actively involved in mentoring UX professionals and promoting STEM education for girls and underserved youth.