Pelin Cunningham-Erdogdu

About Pelin Cunningham-Erdogdu

I’m a Senior UX Researcher and Research Operations leader with 10+ years of experience improving complex systems across technology, healthcare, higher education, and regulated environments. My work sits at the intersection of UX research, data quality, workflow diagnostics, and program execution. I specialize in translating real-world user behavior and fragmented data into decision-ready insights, modernization roadmaps, and operational improvements.I’ve led end-to-end research and research operations for organizations including Xbox, Microsoft, and Amazon, partnering with product, design, engineering, analytics, and leadership teams. My experience spans discovery and evaluative UX research, research ops, CRM-adjacent workflows, and change management in high-stakes environments. Much of my portfolio work is under NDA, but I regularly walk through anonymized case studies covering UX discovery and usability research, Research operations and participant management, Data quality and workflow breakdowns, Field-to-leadership insight translation, Program and change management. I’m most effective in roles that require systems thinking, methodological rigor, and executional follow-through—from research through implementation.

Experience

1. Ux Researcher (Mixed-methods)

   Affirma

   Jun 2025 — Present

   Expanded scope to include research operations, implementation support, and change management across international client engagements.> Managed the full lifecycle of UX research studies, from ambiguous problem framing through synthesis and executive reporting.> Translated complex behavioral, qualitative, and quantitative data into actionable product and business recommendations.> Partnered with cross-functional stakeholders to support implementation initiatives resulting in measurable operational improvements.> Delivered executive-level readouts to senior leadership, ensuring stakeholder accountability and alignment on next steps.> Applied responsible AI-assisted research tools to accelerate synthesis while maintaining methodological rigor and data privacy.

Education

• The University of Texas at Arlington

  Bachelor of Arts - BA, International Relations and Affairs

• University of Houston

  Bachelor of Arts - BA, Psychology

• The University of Texas at Austin

  Doctor of Philosophy - PhD, Social Psychology

• Rice University - Susanne M. Glasscock School of Continuing Studies

  Graduate Certificate in Paralegal Studies, Legal Assistant/Paralegal