Ranjana Mehta
Madison, WI| Grant Category: | Fulbright-Nehru Academic & Professional Excellence Award (Research) |
| Project Title: | Enabling Trustworthy Human–AI Teaming through Social Neuroergonomics |
| Field of Study: | Engineering |
| Home Institution: | University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI |
| Host Institution: | Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai, Tamil Nadu |
| Grant Start Month: | December 2025 |
| Duration of Grant: | Six months |
Brief Bio:
Prof. Ranjana Mehta is the Grainger Institute of Engineering Professor in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where she serves as the director of the Neuroergonomics Lab. She earned her PhD in industrial and systems engineering from Virginia Tech in 2011 and her BTech in production engineering from the University of Mumbai in 2004. Her ongoing research program in human factors focuses on understanding and improving human performance and trust in safety-critical work settings, especially when interacting with emerging technologies like robotics and AI, and under challenging psychophysiological conditions, including stress and fatigue. Her groundbreaking research, which examines the intersection of brain and behavior in human–machine teaming, has attracted more than $19.8 million in external funding, resulting in over 200 peer-reviewed publications. She has been awarded several recognitions, including the Early Career Research Fellow award from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, the NASA IDEAS Fellow award, and the Award for Technical Innovation in Industrial Engineering from the Institute for Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE), as well as multiple innovation and early career honors from the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES), where she became a fellow in 2023. As a member of the IISE and HFES communities, she has shown exceptional external service at both national and international levels through numerous elected and appointed roles within these professional societies. She currently serves as the editor-in-chief of the IISE Transactions of Occupational Ergonomics and Human Factors. She has also served as a member of various technical standards committees, including the American Petroleum Institute, ASTM F48.02 on Exoskeletons and Exosuits, IEEE Human–Robot Interaction Metrics and Test Methods, and ISA84.00.04 on Systematic Failure.
By employing a social neuroergonomics modeling approach, which utilizes the neurobiological foundations of social processes and behaviors in the design, engineering, and evaluation of human–AI systems, Prof. Mehta’s Fulbright-Nehru project is set to enhance understanding about trustworthy human–AI teaming across diverse team cultures and configurations. The project also aims to strengthen trustworthy AI research through collaborative community building.