Alum Marta Rey Babarro will be the speaker at the University of Michigan School of Information's 2025 spring commencement on May 1. Rey Babarro, an expert on design and research, is a 2005 graduate of UMSI’s Master of Science in Information program and an UMSI Advisory Board member. 

Rey Babarro is looking forward to talking to students about her career journey, which began in Barbantes, Spain. From a young age, she has been fueled by a love of travel, a deep curiosity for the people around her and a passion for learning. 

“The first time I left Spain was when I was 10,” she says. “I went to England, and I think that’s when I fell in love with different cultures. Back then, we only had two TV channels in Spain, so traveling really opened my eyes. That curiosity stuck with me and probably planted the seed for my career as a researcher.”

Now the vice president of research and insights at Zillow, Rey Babarro previously served as Google’s global head of research and insights for ChromeOS and Chromebooks. She holds a PhD in audiovisual communication from Complutense University of Madrid.  

Fusing together her love of communication, and her journey into the field of human-computer interaction, Rey Babarro’s career has always been driven by her enthusiasm for solving complex problems. For example, during her time in Madrid in the early 2000s, she worked at a bank designing their website from scratch. 

It’s there she discovered her interest in HCI and “what is possible through technology,” she says. She  followed this passion to U-M in 2003. 

“I remember having deep conversations about things like where the cancel button should go: center or left?” she says. “Back then, at the bank, no one really cared about page design, flow or user experience. Marketing focused on the homepage, but the rest of the site was mostly ignored. That is where the designer I was working with and I jumped in and started to shape the user experiences for this bank’s clients. We were pioneers, figuring out what was working and not. I was working on HCI even though I didn’t know the field had a name!” 

Rey Barbarro says her current position at Zillow is her dream job. Bringing together her master’s in HCI and her undergraduate degree in marketing has been an “absolute blast” she says. 

Outside of her career, Rey Babarro loves mentoring students. She is currently a UMSI Advisory Board member, where she helps advance the mission and shape the vision of UMSI while lending her expertise to students. 

“You have no idea what it meant to me when they asked if I wanted to join the board a year and a half ago,” she says. “In research, in work, in life, I try to tell students and my team it’s so important to stay connected and to remember who you are, your values, your family, and the things that truly matter. To give back once you are ready to return was was given to you first.”

At the UMSI graduation, Rey Babarro hopes to talk about the importance of community, learning and persistence. 

“I want the graduates to take a moment to look to their left and right and really notice the people around them,” she says. “These are not just classmates or colleagues, they are lifelong friends and future industry connections who will help them land their next job, steer them away from bad ones and support them through the highs and lows of their careers.”

The 2025 University of Michigan School of Information graduation ceremony will take place on Thursday, May 1 at 10 a.m. in Crisler Center, 333 E Stadium Blvd, in Ann Arbor. UMSI will also celebrate 2025 graduates with a reception on Thursday, May 1 from 5--6:30 p.m. EDT at Ingalls Mall. 

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For more information on the University of Michigan's commencement ceremonies please visit the U-M Commencement website.