RY
Portrait of Ramya Yerramilli

About

Hi, I’m Ramya.

I started my career designing spaces, but somewhere along the way I became more interested in the people moving through them than the spaces themselves. During my first master's in Design Management & Entrepreneurship, I discovered design thinking, service design, and the idea that great design isn't just about aesthetics—it's about understanding people, systems, and the experiences they create. That realization completely changed the direction of my career.

Over the next six years, I led residential and commercial design projects, collaborating with clients, contractors, and cross-functional teams to bring complex ideas to life. In 2024, I moved to Chicago to pursue a second master's in Human–Computer Interaction at DePaul University. Today, I work at the intersection of research, design, and AI, exploring how emerging technologies can be more intuitive, trustworthy, and human-centered. My work spans healthcare, finance, and responsible AI, where I'm equally excited by asking the right questions as I am by designing the solutions.

Outside of work, you'll usually find me behind a camera, creating digital paintings, or experimenting in the kitchen. Different mediums, same curiosity—observing, exploring, and making. That's probably the thread connecting everything I do.

Background

Experience

  • 2026 – Present

    Research Assistant

    RAISE Lab · DePaul University

  • 2025 – 2026

    International Admissions Operations

    DePaul University

  • 2024 – 2026

    M.S. Human–Computer Interaction

    DePaul University

  • 2018 – 2024

    Interior Designer

    Residential & Commercial Projects

  • 2017 – 2018

    M.A. Design Management & Entrepreneurship

    Anant National University

Research

Research & writing

  • Making AI Infrastructure Visible: Interactive Art as a Public-Facing AI Ethics Interface

    AIES 2026 · Under Review

  • Consciously Assigning Personality to AI

    CHI 2027 · In Progress

  • Exposing & Mitigating Dark Patterns in Generative AI for Vulnerable Users

    RAISE Lab · Ongoing Research

  • AI Safety Evaluation Framework for Community Banks

    Research Proposal · 2026

Focus

Areas of interest

  • Human-Centered AI
  • Responsible AI
  • AI Safety
  • AI Ethics
  • UX Research
  • Mixed Methods
  • Design Strategy
  • Systems Thinking
  • Service Design
  • Accessibility
  • Design Systems
  • Emerging Technologies

Beyond the screen

Different mediums, same curiosity.

Beyond research and design, I spend my time photographing cities and nature, creating digital paintings, and experimenting in the kitchen.