Elena Nuñez Castellar is an Assistant Professor of Intelligence Augmentation at Eindhoven University of Technology. Her work explores human factors, including cognitive abilities crucial for developing human-centered AI tools. By examining aspects such as the role of attention in AI-driven human-computer interactions or how trustworthiness influences user's behaviors, her research aims to inform the design of responsible AI applications.

Building on her interdisciplinary experience, her tenure track is structured around three key pillars. The first explores the intersection of EEG and AI-driven technologies, such as brain-computer interfaces (BCIs), examining their potential and limitations. The second investigates, from a network-neuroscience perspective, the attentional demands involved in interacting with user-centered AI tools. The third addresses the human and ethical dimensions of AI regulation, particularly within the EU-AI Act. She is especially interested in mapping the minimal requirements for effective human oversight of AI systems.

An overarching goal of the tracks is to stay connected with real-world AI use cases and make a positive impact beyond academia. This vision aligns with the Human-Technology Interaction group's goal of helping new technologies deliver maximum benefits while safeguarding human wellbeing.

Elena holds a graduate degree in Psychology from the National University of Colombia and earned her Ph.D. from Ghent University, Belgium, in 2011. In the early years of her postdoctoral career, she worked at Imec, contributing to projects focused on human-technology interactions. She later gained experience investigating the brain connectivity dynamics of attentional mechanisms during media use through a postdoctoral fellowship awarded in 2015.

Since 2018, Elena has focused her work on AI, contributing to mapping projects on the domain of AI and Society for the European Research Council (ERC), serving as AI Innovation Manager at imec, and acting as an AI translator for the governmental organization that established Belgium’s first ethical committee for AI tools. These roles have provided her with valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities of aligning AI with human-centered approaches.

Elena's work has been published in journals such as Information Sciences, Psychophysiology, Cognitive, Affective, & Behavioral Neuroscience, Computers and Education and Frontiers in Human Neuroscience among others. 

Augmented intelligence technologies hold the promise of easing the workload of human cognition, enabling us to navigate, learn, and act in more sophisticated ways; yet their impact remains limited by the uniquely human interplay of cognitive, affective, and motivational states.