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CV

Annika Esau

Education

George Mason University; Fairfax, Virginia
PhD (in-progress) Human Factors and Applied Cognition
GPA: 4.00; exp. May 2027

University of Idaho; Moscow, Idaho
Bachelor of Science, Computer Science
Bachelor of Science, Psychology
Minor in Mathematics
GPA: 3.86; May 2021

Research

George Mason University, Human Factors and Applied Cognition Program; Fairfax, VA
Graduate Researcher; (2024-present)
"Mind-Wandering Attribution in the Sustained Attention to Response Task"
Advisor: Dr. Deak Helton

George Mason University, Human Factors and Applied Cognition Program; Fairfax, VA
Graduate Research Assistant; funded by IARPA (2024-present)
"Defending Against Hacker Bias Injection in Large Language Models"
Advisor: Dr. Gerry Matthews

George Mason University, Human Factors and Applied Cognition Program; Fairfax, VA
Graduate Research Assistant; funded by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (2024-present)
"Bias in Nuclear Power Plant Regulators"
Advisor: Dr. Gerry Matthews

Edwards Lifesciences; Irvine, CA
Human Factors Engineering Intern (Summer 2024)
"Surgeons' Workload and Response Time While Using Cardiac Devices"
Manager: Dr. Jimmy Head

University of Idaho, Department of Psychology and Communication Studies; Moscow, ID
Undergraduate Researcher; independent research funded by the University of Idaho Office of Undergraduate Research grant program (2020-2023)
“Childhood Nature Experiences & Adult Environmental Preferences”
Advisor: Dr. Steffen Werner

Carnegie Mellon University, Human-Computer Interaction Institute; Pittsburgh, PA
Undergraduate Researcher; 2020 NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program (2020-2021)
“Can we control dialog generation using scripts?”
Advisors: Dr. Amy Pavel, Dr. Jeffrey Bigham

Carnegie Mellon University, Institute for Software Research; Pittsburgh, PA
Undergraduate Researcher; 2019 NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program
“INTRUDE: Identifying Redundant Development in Forks”
Advisors: Dr. Christian Kaestner, Dr. Shurui Zhou

Graduate Coursework

Human-Robot Interaction
Ergonomics
Cognition, Stress, & Individual Differences
Small Group Behaviour
Human-System Interaction
Usability
General Linear Modeling I & II
Research Methods in Human Factors
Cognitive Engineering
Professional Seminar in Human Factors

Honors/Awards

Usabil-a-thon Champion Award, Transurban X Human Factors & Ergonomics Society (2024)
Membership, Phi Beta Kappa Society (since 2021)
Undergraduate Research Grant, University of Idaho Office of Undergraduate Research (2020-2021)
Sustainability Grant Award, University of Idaho Sustainability Center (2020-2021)
Honors Core Award, University of Idaho Honors Program (2021)
Honors Student Leaders Award, University of Idaho Honors Program
Dean’s List, University of Idaho College of Engineering & College of Letters, Arts, and Social Sciences (2017-2021)
Grand Challenge Pitch Award, Grand Challenge Scholars Program (2018, 2019)
2nd Place Paper Award, Montana Mathematical Modeling Competition (2019)
Design Challenge Champion Award, Human Factors & Ergonomics Society (2018)
National Merit Scholarship, National Merit Scholarship Corporation (2017-2021)

Leadership/Service

George Mason University Department of Psychology
Teaching Assistant (Research Methods Lab); 2023-present

George Mason University Human Factors & Ergonomics Society
First-Year Liaison; 2023-2024
Web Coordinator; 2024-present

Avid4Adventure
Outdoor Instructor; 2022

Kampala, Uganda private home
Primary School Teacher; 2021-2022

University of Idaho College of Engineering
Tutor; 2019-2021
Engineering Ambassador; 2018-2019

University of Idaho College of Science
Math Mentor; 2020

University of Idaho Sustainability Center
Grant Project Manager; 2020-2021
Volunteer; 2017-2021

University of Idaho Human Factors and Ergonomics Society
President; 2019-2021
Communications Director; 2018-2019

University of Idaho Honors Program
Honors Ambassador; 2017-2018

Languages

English, native
French, limited working proficiency (B1-B2, AM reading, AL speaking)
Spanish, elementary proficiency (A2, AL reading, IL speaking)
Swahili, elementary proficiency (A1, IL)
Hebrew, elementary proficiency (A0, NM)

Selected Course Reviews

"The professor was very enthusiastic in her email responses which can make you feel not like a burden. The professor was very open about providing feedback in the gradebook and during class."
"The professor was kind, encouraging, and supportive."
"The teacher's enthusiasm kept me interested in the course in general."
"The instructor is very kind and patient when explaining complicated material."
"The instructor is very open to answering questions and puts a lot of effort into helping us understand the course material."
"The instructor is very helpful, kind, and encouraging :)"
"The instructor communicates the course material very well!"
"[The most valuable aspects of the course were] the comfortability of speaking in lab and the professor being sweet."
"[The most valuable aspects of the course were] the professor's sincerity and energy for teaching the class."
"She answered all and any questions we had and helped us throughout the entire course."