Exploring How Humans and AI Can Collaborate Better 

About ME

Hi, I’m Fatemeh "Aiyana" Mozaffar. I’m a PhD candidate in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Georgia, and my path into engineering has always been shaped by curiosity, creativity, and the people around me. I grew up in a family of engineers. As the only girl, I spent a lot of time playing with my brothers’ toy cars. What started as playing eventually became a curiosity about how the things around us are designed, built, and brought to life. As I grew older, I began exploring interests of my own, especially music and acoustics. I became fascinated by how sound and music can influence the way we feel, think, and behave. Over time, I realized that I didn’t want to choose between engineering and creativity. I wanted to understand where they intersect. I studied Mechanical Engineering at Sharif University of Technology in Iran, where I had the opportunity to learn alongside some of the brightest students in the country. That experience challenged me technically and shaped the way I approach problems: with curiosity, rigor, and a willingness to look beyond traditional disciplinary boundaries.

Today, I see myself as an interdisciplinary engineer and researcher. I’m interested in problems where technology, human behavior, creativity, and design come together. My research in human–AI collaboration reflects that perspective: I’m not only interested in what technology can do but also in how people experience it, communicate with it, and work alongside it. I believe many of the challenges we face today are not purely technical; they are sociotechnical. Solving them requires not only engineering expertise but also an understanding of people.