Dr. Samman holds a Ph.D. in Applied Experimental and Human Factors Psychology, a Master of Science degree in Industrial Engineering and Management Systems, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology, all from the University of Central Florida. She also received a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from King Abdul-Aziz University.
Dr. Samman’s diverse research background includes topics related to cultural awareness training, language translation, cultural impact on human performance, multimodal interaction, cognitive engineering, distance learning, training technology, team performance, and designing for stress. Her multicultural (Saudi Arabia, US), multilingual (Arabic, English) background and diverse educational expertise and practical experience enable her to create innovative design concepts to address the complex cross-cultural challenges faced by organizations wishing to succeed in today’s global community.
Dr. Samman’s research has been funded by a variety of private sector and government organizations including the U. S. Army, U. S. Navy, U. S. Air Force, DARPA, Boeing Company, Lockheed Martin Corporation, British Petroleum, and Laureate Education. She also worked for Kodak in the Corporate Design and Usability Unit examining user-centered design, usability evaluation, and product design.
Dr. Samman has authored and co-authored numerous journal articles and scientific publications and has presented her work at national and international conferences. She has also taught tutorials on multimodal interaction at international conferences. Dr. Samman is currently an Adjunct Professor in both the Digital Media Department and Psychology Department at the University of Central Florida and has taught courses on User-Centered Design, Research Methods, Basic Learning, and the Psychology of Racial Prejudice.