Dr. Zara Mirmalek talked about Meshing Remote and Co-located Work: Human-technology Relationships in Space and Ocean Exploration.

Zara Mirmalek is a social scientist who conducts ethnographic research among work communities for the study of human-technology relationships and remote presence. She has conducted studies in the domains of space exploration and ocean exploration among scientists working with robots on Mars (NASA’s Mars Exploration Rovers mission) and in the ocean (submarine volcanoes in the Caribbean). Other extreme environments in which she has conducted ethnographic studies include air transportation and Mars analog programs for future human-robotic exploration on Mars. Zara has a PhD in Communication and Science Studies, a MPA in Public Administration and Public Policy, and a BA History. Currently she is a research scientist with the Bay Area Environmental Research Institute and a Senior Fellow in the Program for Science, Technology & Society at Harvard University.