Carol Smith is a principal research scientist in the Software Engineering Institute’s (SEI’s) Artificial Intelligence (AI) Division leading research and development focused on improving user experiences (UX) and interactions with the nation’s AI systems, robotics, and other complex and emerging technologies. Smith’s research encompasses human-computer interaction (HCI), cognitive psychology, UX, and human-machine teaming practices.

For more than 20 years, Smith has conducted research to improve the human experience with complex systems across industries and has more than 10 years of experience researching AI systems, autonomous vehicles, and other emerging technologies.

Prior to joining the SEI in 2019, Smith pioneered UX research methods to improve passenger and operator experiences in self-driving vehicles and autonomy tooling for the engineers at Uber Advanced Technologies Group. At IBM, Smith led research as a senior design manager for IBM Watson Discovery products. She has materially contributed to the design of government, non-profit, and private sector solutions, including cloud and on-premises software, websites, mobile applications (iOS and Android), and other emerging technologies in primarily Agile environments. She has led teams that have created tools to support developers in making AI-enabled systems, and managed multi-disciplinary technical teams at numerous organizations.

An adjunct instructor for Carnegie Mellon University’s Human-Computer Interaction Institute, Smith teaches both undergraduate and graduate courses. She is also a frequent speaker and panelist at conferences and events worldwide. Smith is an active volunteer in technical communities. She has served as an IEEE Senior Member, as a working group member for the IEEE P7008 Standard, as Vice President of the User Experience Professionals Association (UXPA), and as an ACM Distinguished Speaker for a term.

Smith has an MS in HCI from the Computer Science Department at DePaul University and a BS in Journalistic Photography & Videography from Denison University.