Prof. Dr. Javier Bargas-Avila
Professor for Applied AI @
About
Dr. Javier Bargas-Avila is Professor for Applied AI at the University of Applied Sciences' (FHNW) Institute for Information Systems. He teaches and researches how Technology and AI can better support the humans that use them every day.
Before FHNW, he spent 14 years at Google building and leading UX research organizations across Cloud, Ads, YouTube and Play. Before that, he founded and ran the HCI research lab at the University of Basel, where he also earned his PhD in cognitive psychology.
In 2025, he co-founded Astrolabium with Nina Weber: a coaching and consulting agency supporting UX professionals and organizations navigating a fast-changing industry. He also serves as President of UX Schweiz, the professional organization representing the UX workforce in Switzerland.
He has delivered over 150 talks internationally, published more than 30 scientific articles and shares his knowledge in podcasts, blog posts and articles. Teaching has been part of his work for over 20 years: today at FHNW, University of Basel, HSLU, FH OST and FHGR.
