Dr. Valeria López Torres investigates how design and technology shape lived experiences, specifically focusing on how humans think, work, and collaborate with autonomous systems through interdisciplinary perspectives.

As a specialist in Human-AI Interaction, her research addresses both the functional and socio-technical dimensions of machine intelligence. Her work in Explainable AI (XAI), including recent research supported by the Laboratory for Analytic Sciences (LAS), involves developing tailored visual interfaces to support decision-making within the intelligence community. Complementing this functional focus is her research into artificial companionship, examining the role of authenticity and the evolving nature of human-AI relationships.

A leader in design pedagogy, Dr. López Torres spearheads curricular efforts that bridge traditional design foundations with essential AI competencies, including the design and implementation of cross-disciplinary curriculum initiatives. Her pedagogical research also explores the integration of More-than-Human perspectives into experience design, situating the designer’s role within a broader context of systemic and ecological responsibility.