Meet the Sophic Team
Nicholas "Nick" Bertrand
Human Factors Intern
Nicholas “Nick” Bertrand joined our team as a Human Factors Intern in May 2025. Nick holds a B.S. in Human Factors Psychology and is currently pursuing an M.S. in Systems Engineering, both from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. He began his academic journey in aerospace engineering, gaining foundational experience in physics, CAD, model rocket design, and helicopter flight training before transitioning to human-centered engineering.
At Embry-Riddle, Nick led usability testing for “Astoria,” an AR-based orbital mechanics simulator for Microsoft HoloLens – conducting heuristic evaluations, prototyping redesigns in Figma, and enhancing interface usability and accessibility.
In Summer 2024, he interned at Garmin in Olathe, KS as a Support Specialist, where he resolved over 150 customer cases, diagnosed technical issues across smart health devices, and collaborated with engineering teams to address product defects.
As part of his ergonomics studies, Nick authored a 29-page case study on an L4/L5 spinal compression injury, integrating anthropometric analysis, psychosocial factors, and long-term ergonomic recommendations. In the domain of safety, he developed a 28-item organizational checklist to assess risk management strategies, applying it to case studies such as the Challenger and Three Mile Island incidents.