Old Dominion University
Human Factors & Ergonomics Society
The Old Dominion University HFES student chapter
The Old Dominion University HFES student chapter is a student organization geared towards professional development and service in the areas of human factors and ergonomics. Speakers from both industry and academia visit the University to make presentations on relevant topics in human factors and ergonomics. Additionally, the chapter is consistently well represented at the annual International HFES Conference, where members meet alumni, present research, and interact with other human factors professionals. Our student chapter has recently been recognized as a gold level organization by HFES International.
Our field trip to the Virginia Air and Space Center, where we had the opportunity to see the original Apollo 12 spacecraftage
Michael presenting his poster at the ASPIRE HFES annual conference. Our club provides travel help!
Some beautiful faces from our club
Our field trip to the Virginia Air and Space Center, where we had the opportunity to see the original Apollo 12 spacecraftage
What is Human Factors?
Human Factors, also known as ergonomics, is the scientific discipline concerned with the understanding of interactions among humans and other elements of a system. Specifically, human factors research applies what we know about people, their abilities, characteristics, and limitations to the design of equipment they use, environments in which they function, and jobs they perform. The Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES) is the national professional organization for human factors specialists. To find out more, visit HFES.
Upcoming Events
Executive Board
Hagar Baruch
President
Hagar is a 3rd year Ph.D. student working with Dr. Mary Still in the Building on Intuition, Knowledge, and Experiences (BIKE) lab. Her research interests include memory for emergency information in high stress environments and intuitive design. Hagar has a BFA in UX Design and worked as a UX Designer and Researcher for 3 years at Lextant in Columbus, OH before beginning graduate school.
Saroja Roy Grandhi,
Vice President
Saroja is a 3rd year Ph.D. student working with Dr. Jeremiah Still in the Psychology of Design (POD) lab. Her primary research is understanding and improving end-user cybersecurity behavior. My graduate thesis examined the relationship between Big Five personality traits and cyber hygiene, using validated measures to evaluate how trait-level differences relate to observed security-relevant behaviors and self-reported hygiene practices. Before being at ODU, Saroja was a lecturer at Rashtriya Raksha University in India and research associate with the Indian Air Force.
Michael Gazzanigo
Treasurer
Mike is a 3rd year Ph.D. student working with Dr. Xiao Yang in the Applied and Translational Psychophysiology Laboratory. His research focuses on how humans attribute relational roles to AI agents: the moment when a user stops treating a chatbot or autonomous system as a tool and begins treating it as something closer to a partner. He has his B.S. in Psychology from ODU.
Ben Otto
Webmaster
Ben is a 3rd year Ph.D. student working with Dr. Jeremiah Still in the Psychology of Design (POD) lab. His research focuses on SMishing countermeasures. Ben has his B.S. in Psychology from Iowa State University.
Austin Rine
Alumni Coordinator
Austin is a 2nd year Ph.D. student working with Dr. Mary Still in the Building on Intuition, Knowledge, and Experiences (BIKE) Lab. Austin has his B.S. in HF Psychology from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
Current Student Members (2025 - 2026)
Alex Katsarakes
Austin Jackson
Austin Rine
Ben Otto
Dongfang Jiao
Grant Dashti-Gibson
Jamie Seeterlin
Jeffrey Glassman
Joshua Allison
Kayla Hankey
Michael Gazzanigo
Patrick Pannier
Rachel Ball
Samantha Rapacon
Saroja Roy Grandhi
Spencer House