New employee: Ximena Alejandra Rojas Sierra, PhD student
You can read about Alejandra's work areas, professional background, leisure activities etc. here.
Why did you choose to work at the Department of Business Development and Technology?
It is great to be hosted by BTECH as part of the EINST4INE consortium, an EU-funded project that aims to develop a knowledge base on the human side of digital transformation including changed and new business models together with new ways of working through human-machine interaction. I chose BTECH because it has a strong link with practitioners and a very interesting academic network to create value altogether.
What is your area of work?
Social robots, for example, mobile telepresence robots (MTRs) that allow people to communicate remotely and have a physical presence. These robots are changing organisational dynamics, work practices and processes, occupations, and challenging the psycho-social factors in organisations. In the following years, I will be studying robots from a social approach, aiming to ultimately help people to use social robots in a way that benefits humans in various aspects.
What is your background?
I hold a Bachelor’s degree in Administration from the National Autonomous University of Mexico, and I have more than 5 years of work experience in marketing for various industries, such as Augmented Reality and entertainment. Then, I continued my studies with an Erasmus Mundus master’s joint degree in Tourism Management where I had the opportunity to study in Denmark, Slovenia and Spain. There, I led a project on Big Data as an open innovation source to accelerate innovation in the tourism ecosystem. This research project opened my eyes to the amazing world of emerging technologies, open innovation, and sustainable development. Then, I wrote my master’s thesis about Intelligent automation and robotics in the service sector and the job transformation they bring. My goal was to understand how tech start-ups can develop intelligent automation solutions that contribute to sustainable developments' socio-economic sphere. Fascinated by the intersection of humans, technology and sustainability, I believe in research that contributes to people’s well-being.
Please tell us a bit about yourself, your family and your leisure activities
I grew up in Mexico City and then decided to move to Europe for my studies, I love travelling around the world and seeing other cultures and ways of living. In my free time, I like to hang out with my friends, and I like swimming and painting.