Hello, I'm

Mia C.PhD

UX & market researcher.
Evidence into practical decisions.

I connect user needs, market evidence and emerging technology with product and business decisions. My work spans research, digital experiences and accessible AI education.

Freelance help: customer research, website reviews and improvements, and workshop or hackathon support.

CMO and Founding Team Member @ Austin AI Hub · Researcher III @ Rackspace
Mia C.  -  UX and Market Researcher based in Austin, Texas
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Affiliated With

Texas Tech University (PhD) Rackspace Austin AI Hub

Research grounded in people and decisions

I help teams understand people, evaluate evidence and decide what to do next.

As a researcher, strategist, and community builder, I work at the intersection of artificial intelligence, accessibility, and human impact. My academic research explored how technology can make experiences accessible to those traditionally left out - and that mission continues in everything I do.

I conduct UX research, market research and competitive intelligence as a Researcher III at Rackspace. I also serve as CMO and a founding team member at Austin AI Hub, where my work includes partnerships, communications and program production. I hold a PhD from Texas Tech University.

My Mission

To advance AI systems that protect vulnerable populations and make technology accessible to underserved communities - proving that ethical AI isn't just possible, it's essential.

Education

PhD GPA: 3.96

Texas Tech University

Research: AI, Accessibility, UX/AR/VR & DEI

4-Year Merit Fellowship Research Support Award Tuition Scholarship

Current Roles

  • Chief Marketing Officer and Founding Team Member Austin AI Hub
    500+ members 50+ events Founding team since January 2025
  • Researcher III Rackspace

Academic Service

  • Peer Reviewer IGI Global · Cogent Business & Management
  • Judge - Graduate Research Conference Texas Tech University (2021)
  • Research Seminar Coordinator Texas Tech GRAHM (2019–2020)

Volunteer & Applied Work

  • UX Researcher Pandemic Professors (NGO) Led UX research initiatives to improve family/student onboarding processes through surveys and diary studies during COVID-19.

Teaching Experience

  • Instructor - RHIM 2308: Hotel Operations Texas Tech University (Fall 2021) Designed curriculum and delivered lectures for undergraduate hospitality course.

Applied work and concepts

Client websites, community programs, research-linked concepts and prototypes. Each record identifies the type of work and my contribution.

AI Against Trafficking

Concept & Prototype

Prototyped an AI content generation concept for anti-trafficking awareness. Created Instagram prototype to demonstrate vision for automated awareness campaigns.

See Prototype →

Research, implementation and delivery.

1

Research & Strategy

UX research, market evidence, competitive intelligence and practical recommendations for a defined decision.

Explore my research experience ↗
2

Websites & Digital Presence

Website messaging, design and implementation, with search visibility and consistent LinkedIn or community communications.

Explore digital presence work ↗
3

Workshops & Program Production

Practical AI education, hackathon production, partnerships and participant communications, drawing on my Austin AI Hub work.

Explore workshops and production ↗

Published work

My doctoral research at Texas Tech University explored how AI and emerging technology - including wearable devices, AR/VR, and smart systems - can make real-world experiences accessible to people who are traditionally left out. This work spans accessibility, AI ethics, and user experience design.

Book Chapter 2026

Ethical AI Storytelling in Volunteer Tourism

IGI Global

Exploring ethical considerations of AI applications in volunteer tourism contexts, with frameworks for responsible implementation.

Read Publication
Dissertation 2022

Making Tourism Accessible Through Wearable Technology

Texas Tech University

Quantitative research on using smart glasses to make travel experiences accessible for people with travel hesitation and disabilities.

View Research
Conference Poster 2019

Smart Airbnb: The Importance of Smart Technology and Its Effect on Booking Intention

Graduate Conference of Hospitality & Tourism Management, Las Vegas

Research examining how smart home technology adoption influences consumer booking decisions in the sharing economy.

Conference Paper 2020

Negative Online Reviews of Hotel Green Practices and Consumer Purchase Intention

25th Annual Graduate Education & Graduate Student Research Conference, Las Vegas

Examining how negative reviews of sustainability practices impact consumer booking behavior in the hospitality industry.

Journal 2026 · Under Review

Wearing Your Destination: Smart Glasses for Accessible Tourism

Journal of Quality Assurance in Hospitality & Tourism

Making the tourism experience accessible through smart glasses for people with travel hesitation. Revised submission.

Journal 2026 · Under Review

AI-Generated Review Summaries and Decision Making

Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology

Understanding adoption of AI-generated review summaries in digital hospitality platforms. Manuscript ID: JHTT-01-2026-0062.

Conference 2026 · Submitted

The 90th Minute Problem: Edge AI for Smart & Safe Tourism

TTRA 56th Annual International Conference

Edge AI solutions for smart and safe tourism at mega-sporting events. First author submission.

Trusted by the people I work with

Perspectives from research, product and community colleagues.

Sharon Varalli

Sharon Varalli

Former manager · Rackspace

“She is an excellent researcher. She uses her analytic skills to think things through and come up with critical insights that drive our company strategy and direction.”
Read full recommendation

Mia reported to me for about a year and a half. She is an excellent researcher. She uses her analytic skills to think things through and come up with critical insights that drive our company strategy and direction. She was always willing to take on projects that stretched her skills and allowed her grow in her role as a researcher. She has developed trusted relationships with her colleagues across the company. They come to her with key questions as they know she will provide valuable insights as well as additional areas to explore to take products and solutions to the next level in this quickly evolving technical world. I would have Mia on my team in a hearbeat.

Malia Canann

Senior UX Researcher · Rackspace

“Mia has a natural talent for building relationships across teams and has delivered high-impact research that directly influences both product strategy and marketing direction.”
Read full recommendation

I worked with Mia for three years on the Research team at Rackspace, where we both held Senior Researcher roles. Mia stands out as a highly collaborative and adaptable teammate who brought both strategic insight and a strong sense of partnership to every project. Mia has a natural talent for building relationships across teams and has delivered high-impact research that directly influences both product strategy and marketing direction. She brings both the rigor and the people skills to drive real impact. Mia would be a great member to have on any team!

Monika M. Far

Monika M. Far

Leadership colleague · Austin AI Hub

“She brings thoughtful, strategic thinking to her work, balancing creativity with purpose.”
Read full recommendation

I’ve had the opportunity to work with Mia at Austin AI Hub and have been consistently impressed by her clarity of vision and steady approach. She brings thoughtful, strategic thinking to her work, balancing creativity with purpose. As Marketing Director and part of leadership team, Mia ensures our marketing efforts stay focused and effective. She works collaboratively, supports the team generously, and maintains high standards in everything she does.

More recommendations 8 colleagues

Andres Guerrero, M.Sc.

Investigación de mercados para proyectos fitness | Pricing · Experiencia del cliente · Expansión | PhD Candidate

“I had the privilege of working alongside Mia on the Research team at Rackspace, and I can confidently say she is an outstanding research leader and a truly exceptional colleague.”
Read full recommendation

I had the privilege of working alongside Mia on the Research team at Rackspace, and I can confidently say she is an outstanding research leader and a truly exceptional colleague. Mia brings a unique combination of sharp analytical skills and strong human values, a balance that is increasingly valuable in today's workplace. She is quick to learn, proactive, and consistently delivers high quality insights that drive real business impact. Beyond her technical abilities, Mia is a thoughtful and empathetic professional who brings out the best in those around her. Her natural curiosity, collaborative spirit, and strong communication skills make her a key asset to any organization. Working with Mia was not only a professional pleasure but also a personal one.

Bita Shirazi

Finance Leader | ex-Amazon | FinAI | FP&A | BI | Business Transformation

“Mia’s dedication and the quality of her work as Marketing Director at Austin AI Hub have been exceptional.”
Read full recommendation

Mia’s dedication and the quality of her work as Marketing Director at Austin AI Hub have been exceptional. She brings both creativity and precision to everything she does, consistently producing high-impact results that have strengthened our brand and grown our community. Mia is proactive, reliable, and a true professional. She’s been a key part of our success, and I highly recommend her.

Moji Izadmehr

Software Engineer

“I had the pleasure of working with Mia for 1 year at the Snapptrip company.”
Read full recommendation

I had the pleasure of working with Mia for 1 year at the Snapptrip company. She used to work with the IT and product teams. I was always impressed with her ability to efficiently communicate with different stakeholders. Mia would be a true asset for any positions requiring high collaboration and communication and comes with my heartfelt recommendation.

Amir Azimi

I make teams AI-native | BI Team Lead at join.com, where I rebuilt our data function on AI agents

“During my time as the Head of Product at Snapptrip, Mia was the only supervisor in the customer support team about whom I felt truly confident regarding channeling software issues to my team.”
Read full recommendation

During my time as the Head of Product at Snapptrip, Mia was the only supervisor in the customer support team about whom I felt truly confident regarding channeling software issues to my team. She is detail oriented and always keen on learning new frameworks and tools to ramp up her skills. She is very responsible and tough when it comes to ownership and always asks for more responsibility. Overall I highly recommend Mia for any career path that she aims to conquer due to her dedication and intelligence.

Vahagn Sarksyan

Founder of Seneqa AI ⚡️| fractional CMO to early-stage startups

“Mia is one of the most hard-working, passionate and diligent people I’ve ever met in my life.”
Read full recommendation

Mia is one of the most hard-working, passionate and diligent people I’ve ever met in my life. The amount of soul and energy that she was bringing to her job and team in Snapptrip was always laudable for me. She’s always eager to learn, grow and add value to the team that she works in. It was an absolute pleasure working with her. She will be missed!

Hassan Adaminejad

Frontend Developer at TalentBridge GmbH

“I had the pleasure of working with Mia for 1 year at the Snapptrip Company, I was Senior Front-End developer there.”
Read full recommendation

I had the pleasure of working with Mia for 1 year at the Snapptrip Company, I was Senior Front-End developer there. Mia was in customer service team and she cooperated with IT and product team alot. Some of her skills that made her special was high communication skills with great sense of humor, Adaptable in different and ambiguous situations, Interested in technology, and always eager to learn and grow make her a good colleague and teammate for any team.

Hassan Monfared

Engineering Leader @Snowflake | Entrepreneur | Master’s in Computer Science

“I've always enjoyed working with Mia during past 3 years.”
Read full recommendation

I've always enjoyed working with Mia during past 3 years. She is passionate about her job and always eager to learn and grow. Mia dedicates herself to the responsibilities given to her and gets things done in the best way. She is perfect in team working and has good communication skills. It's my pleasure to recommend her to any work/research team.

Hamed Navab Tehrani

Business Development

“I used to work in Snapptrip for 18 month and I was Customer service manager.”
Read full recommendation

I used to work in Snapptrip for 18 month and I was Customer service manager. Mia was QC supervisor in my team. If I want to say one sentence to describe her personality I would say she is the strongest woman who I’ve ever seen. I find her accountable, talented, passionate, initiative and with very good communication skills. She always looks for the best practices in the world to improve our customer satisfaction. So overall, she is a motivated learner who is able to help any organization to reach the potential targets.

Excerpts from LinkedIn recommendations. Name variants standardized to Mia. View LinkedIn ↗

Let's work together

For research opportunities, a digital project or practical AI education, get in touch to discuss the work.

Research opportunities

UX research, market research and competitive intelligence

Training & Consulting

Practical AI education and scoped advisory work

Collaboration

Research, community projects, partnerships

Currently accepting

  • UX and market research opportunities
  • Research collaborations
  • Advisory & consulting
  • Workshop facilitation
  • Community partnerships
Open to new opportunities

Email Mia directly

mia.cheraghian@gmail.com

What to include in your first email

Your website or organization, what you need help with, the decision you want to support, your target date and a budget range if known. Scope, timing and fee are agreed before work begins.

Open an email with these prompts ↗
Anti-Trafficking AI

SoulShield AI

An AI support concept exploring privacy, discreet interaction and grounding for survivors. My contribution covered product vision, behavioral design and safety architecture. The repository documents the project; this portfolio does not establish production safety, availability or independently verified security.

Privacy-First Design
Grounding concept
Privacy design goals
GPT-4 LangChain AWS Python
View on GitHub