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Our Team

The people behind Plover

A team of researchers, strategists, and specialists combining academic rigor with real-world industry experience.

Marlena, a caucasian queer person with chin-length rainbow hair, smiling

Founder & CEO

Marlena R. Fraune, Ph.D.

they/them

Dr. Marlena R. Fraune works to improve today's robots for diverse users. As Founder and CEO of Plover: Human-Centered Technology Consulting, they draw on their experience in both industry and academia. They leverage their real-world experience researching and improving robots for industry — via Toyota Research Institute, Amazon, and Kaleidoscope Innovations — to determine current robot needs and capabilities, and user needs and preferences for those robots. They leverage their decade of academic research experience — including five years as a professor at New Mexico State University, and visiting research positions in Germany and Japan — to develop and answer overarching research questions to meet users' real needs with robots, such as: How can new technology serve people? How can we enhance this technology for people across cultures? How can we transcend current accessibility guidelines to create accessible robots?

Contractors

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Contractor

Schyler VerSteeg

Product Research Strategy User Experience Operations
Rune Baggett, a person with medium-length red hair and light skin smiling

Contractor

Rune Baggett

Communication Administration Program Management Data Management
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Contractor

Dr. Sawyer Collins

Participatory Design Robot Prototyping Accessibility Research Grant Writing