Hanieh Khaleghian

Hanieh Khaleghian

HCI Researcher · Product Designer

hanieh.khaleghian@gmail.com · 1.602.748.6456 · Oakland, California

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Education

Sep. 2025
Ph.D. in Design
ASU Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts, Tempe, AZ
Dissertation: Designing Imaginable and Playable Futures: Co-Creative XR Toolkits for Envisioning Careers. Committee: Robert LiKamWa, Renata Hejduk, Ed Finn
2016
Master of Arts in Computational Design
Staedelschule, Frankfurt, Germany
2014
B.Sc. in Architectural Engineering
Iran University of Science & Technology, Tehran, Iran

Research Experience

Dec 2025–Present
Research Fellow
Amena Center, UC Berkeley
  • GenAI Playground Project: How do we design AI interfaces that help us imagine more, and how do we measure the more?
Feb 2021–Jul 2025
Graduate Research Assistant
Meteor Studio, Arizona State University
  • Led the Career XRcade research initiative, utilizing Design Science Research (DSR) methods to investigate collaborative workflows in educational XR environments.
  • Contributed to the execution of the Verizon Innovative Learning grant, validating the platform's efficacy in increasing STEM career engagement.
  • Conducted mixed-methods studies with students and industry experts to validate the efficacy of VR in increasing STEM career engagement.

Design Experience

Oct 2024–Present
Head of Design
Basion, San Francisco, CA
  • Lead the UX/UI design for an AI-powered social health platform, managing a design team to translate gen AI agents into human-centered experiences.
May 2021–Jun 2024
XR Product Lead
Verizon Innovative Learning & ASU Partnership, Tempe, AZ (Part-time)
  • Directed a cross-functional production team of 15–20 developers and designers to build Career XRcade, a scalable VR learning platform funded by Verizon.
  • Successfully shipped 40+ interactive mini-games and spatial experiences to the Verizon Innovative Learning HQ portal.
May 2022–Oct 2023
Product Designer
Apsy, Los Angeles, CA (Contract)
  • Designed the VR MVP for an AI-driven no-code app builder, translating 2D user flows into immersive spatial interactions.
Apr 2018–Jan 2020
Architectural Designer
JAHN, Chicago, Illinois
  • Executed high-fidelity 3D modeling and visualization of buildings.
Dec 2016–Jan 2018
Architectural Design Intern
Fuksas Studio, Rome, Italy
  • Assisted in designing architectural concepts and visualizations.

Teaching Experience

Jan 2026–Apr 2026
Adjunct Professor
University of Silicon Valley, San Jose, CA
  • Teaching Game Design and Worldbuilding course using Maya, Substance Painter and Unity.
Aug 2020–Dec 2021
Guest Lecturer and Teaching Assistant
ASU Design School, Tempe, AZ
  • Delivered lectures on immersive storytelling and Worldbuilding, including "How to Build Worlds Together?", "Welcome to the Schizo Club! Toward Speculative Alternative Worlds." and "Where Do We Live? Exploring the Blended Layers of Tangible and Virtual Worlds."
  • Led technical workshops on "Collaborative Worldbuilding," teaching advanced massing and environment development using Maya and ZBrush.
  • Facilitated critical discussion sessions and organized studio logistics for graduate courses (APH 505, 515) and undergraduate studios (APH 421).

Publications

MESH Model: Roles, Responsibilities, and Dependencies in Collaborative XR Production with Student Workers.
Kaye, R., Khaleghian, H., Lucking, S., Finn, E., & LiKamWa, R.
12th International Conference of the Immersive Learning Research Network (iLRN 2026). Accepted for publication.
Making Futures Playable: Role-Based Virtual Reality Career Exploration to Promote Student Imagination and Creative Self-Efficacy.
Khaleghian, H., LiKamWa, R., & Finn, E.
Frontiers in Psychology (Special Issue: Exploring Meaningful Extended Reality Experiences), 2025. Accepted for publication.
Perfecting the Interdisciplinary Storm: Immersive Narrative Development Workflows in Context of Meteorology Labs.
Kaye, R., Porter, A., Moore, C., Balamurugan, N., Khaleghian, H., & LiKamWa, R.
Springer Communications in Computer and Information Science, Vol. 2271, pp. 187–197.
Work-in-Progress — Career XRcade Framework: Student-Driven Collaborative Platform for Immersive Career Exploration, Insights from Stakeholders.
Khaleghian, H., Piechowicz, J., Kaye, R., & LiKamWa, R.
Immersive Learning Research Network (iLRN 2024 Proceedings).
Career XRcade Framework: Student-driven Collaboration Processes to Develop Learning Environments for Immersive Career Exploration.
Khaleghian, H., & LiKamWa, R.
IEEE Conference on Virtual Reality and 3D User Interfaces (IEEE VR 2024). Abstracts & Workshops.

Conference Presentations, Talks & Demos

Sep 2025
[Invited Talk]
The Medium Collaborates. Adobe AI Summit, San Francisco.
Jun 2025
[Workshop]
Imagined Arcade: XR Game Toolkit for Co-Imagining Career Futures with Students, Subject Experts, and AI. HCI International (HCII) 2025 Workshop, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Apr 2025
[Workshop]
Transforming Rare Disease Care Through AI, Innovation Challenge. AMENA Center for Entrepreneurship and Development, UC Berkeley.
Jun 2024
[Conference]
Career XRcade Framework: Stakeholders Network of Collaboration. Immersive Learning Research Network (iLRN 2024), Glasgow, Scotland.
Jun 2024
[Demo]
Career XRcade, Esports Land VR App. Games For Change Festival, New York, NY.
Mar 2024
[Poster]
Career XRcade Framework: Student-Driven Collaborative Platform. IEEE Conference on Virtual Reality (IEEE VR), Orlando, FL.
Jul 2023
[Demo]
Planetary Science VR App. Games For Change Festival, New York, NY.
Nov 2022
[Demo]
Career XRcade Cybersecurity VR App. Realm 4: Education Through Exploration Summit, Tempe, AZ.

Exhibitions

2023
ASU XRts Showcase: Meteor Studio VR Apps. South by Southwest (SXSW), Austin, TX.
2020
Virtual DIV. Immersive Worldbuilding. Deyhim Gallery, Tehran, Iran.
2016
Big Fat Dumb Cities For Sale. Städel Museum, Frankfurt, Germany.
2016
Uncanny Cliff Fictional City. Deutsches Architekturmuseum, Frankfurt, Germany.
2015
Active Borders. Städel Museum, Frankfurt, Germany.

Recognitions & Awards

—
Distinguished Graduate Student Achievement Award (Nominee). ASU Faculty Women's Association, 2024.
—
Anthony C. Juratovac Memorial Scholarship. The Design School, Arizona State University, 2021.
—
University Graduate Fellowship. Arizona State University, 2020 and 2021.
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DAAD Study Scholarship. Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst, 2015.

Technical Skills

Game EngineUnity 3D
3D Modeling & Spatial DesignMaya, ZBrush, Rhinoceros, Revit, AutoCAD, Substance Painter
UI/UX & Visual DesignFigma, Adobe XD, Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign
Generative AIClaude Code, Lovable, Midjourney, Adobe Firefly, Runway ML
HCI & Design ResearchUsability Testing, User Interviews, Survey Dev., Scenario Studies, Speculative Design, Storyboarding
Professional TrainingAR/VR Development Bootcamp (NYU Tandon School of Engineering)

Service & Affiliations

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Adobe Ambassador. Adobe Firefly, San Francisco (2025–Present).
—
Academic Reviewer. Immersive Learning Research Network (iLRN) (2025–Present).
—
Marketing Team Member. Women of Middle East & North Africa in Technology (2021–2023).