Interview with Veronika Petrovych: Driving Safety Forward in Neonode’s Automotive Division

Neonode is delighted to welcome Veronika Petrovych to Neonode. With an education in neuroscience and road safety, Veronika will work with Sales and Business Development in our Automotive division, helping to implement innovative safety solutions for our partners across the European Market.

Veronika Petrovych joins Neonode as Sales Director, Automotive. With an academic research background and experience in product management within Driver Monitoring System (DMS), coupled with fluency in six languages (English, German, Italian, Spanish, Swedish and Ukrainian) Veronika is uniquely equipped to connect with clients and understand their diverse needs. As a Neuroscientist with a focus on human factors in transportation, she brings a deep understanding of driver behavior and a passion for making roads safer.

We sat down with Veronika to find out more about her career journey and to learn how she plans to empower our customers with truly human-centric solutions using Neonode technology.

Welcome to Neonode, Veronika! Can you start by telling us a bit about you and your background and what led you to join the team?

Thank you! My journey started in psychology and neuroscience with a focus on improving transportation safety from the human perspective. I was drawn to this field because roads and cities are often designed for cars, leaving vulnerable road users, like pedestrians and cyclists, at risk. I wanted a career with purpose, so my goal was to use my education to make roads safer.

After completing my studies in Munich, Germany in 2013, I went on to work at VTI – Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute in Linköping, Sweden. With high government engagement and investment in the Vision Zero initiative to eliminate road deaths, Sweden was the perfect place to pursue my career.

Can you tell us a bit more about Neuroscience, and how it can help in the automotive industry?

Neuroscience is the study of the nervous system, particularly how the brain processes information, makes decisions and responds to stimuli. In the automotive industry, it’s invaluable for understanding driver behavior in order to enhance technical safety. My educational background has enabled me to explore how drivers perceive and react to events, like a sudden obstacle on the road, and how their attention shifts during manual and autonomous driving. By understanding brain processes like reaction times, visual attention and cognitive load, we can design safer automotive products that align with human capabilities. For example, Neonode’s Driver Monitoring System benefits from this approach by accurately detecting driver gaze and alertness, ensuring timely interventions in critical moments.

Your research focused on autonomous driving and human behavior. Can you share some highlights from that work?

Absolutely. The majority of my research has been focused on the exploration of safe handovers between manual and automated driving. While vehicle autonomy is relatively new to the market, research about safety and the viability of autonomous vehicles was already being conducted over ten years ago. At the time I was researching this concept, autonomous vehicles were expected to hit the market by 2017, but the technology wasn’t ready to handle unexpected events safely. In addition, humans were not ready to trust autonomous systems, as even a tiny error could erode driver trust.

My research predominantly looked at the importance of the human element in automotive innovation. I conducted research in collaboration with several research institutes and OEMs, for example BMW, where I tested how long it takes drivers to take control after extended autonomous driving. At Delft University and the Dutch National Road and Safety Transport Institute, I studied pedestrian trust in autonomous vehicles, examining whether they could distinguish between human-driven and autonomous cars. In order for this technology to move into the commercial mainstream, human acceptance, whether a driver or a citizen, is crucial.

You’ve worked with leading automotive organizations, like BMW and Volvo. How have those experiences shaped your approach to automotive safety?

These projects gave me hands-on experience with studying driver behavior in simulators using eye-tracking and other research methods, which scientifically proved how critical trust and reaction times are in autonomous systems.

With my academic background in automotive HMI, it was natural for me to transition to the commercial world where I could apply my knowledge in the industry. This gave me the possibility to work with technologies that would realistically improve road safety.

Before starting at Neonode, I worked as a Product Manager for Driver Monitoring Systems (DMS), where I focused on making DMS robust and intuitive. I learned to bridge research with practical applications, however when working with commercial partners, I also learnt that OEMs wanted more than just an eye-tracking solutions – they also prioritized speed-to-market and innovative brand-differentiating features. This was a motivating factor for joining Neonode, where the unique approach to DMS enables fast feature development and true customization, which is incredibly inspiring.

What excites you most about working at Neonode and contributing to the automotive industry?

Neonode’s technology is remarkable, not only in its foundation built on synthetic data, but also in the applications Neonode has created. The team here have a completely fresh and innovative approach to automotive safety, while always putting the end-user experience at the forefront. For example, Neonode is the first company to combine DMS with hands-on-wheel detection to combat safety issues with autonomous take-over.

My research background allows me to speak the language of both engineers and end-users, ensuring solutions address real-world challenges. I’m passionate about contributing to safer roads and I have the opportunity to do just that at Neonode.

How do you see your role at Neonode advancing the future of transportation safety?

My goal is to help Neonode deliver DMS solutions to OEMs that drivers can rely on. By combining my human factor expertise with Neonode’s cutting-edge technology, I aim to create solutions that not only meet technical standards but also prioritize the human experience—ensuring drivers feel confident and secure. I’m excited to collaborate with automotive partners to integrate our technology into vehicles, ultimately making roads safer for everyone, from drivers to vulnerable road users.

At Neonode, I see an opportunity to turn my research into real-world impact, and I’m eager to drive that vision forward.

And finally, who is Veronika when she is not at work?

Outside of work, my life is filled with the joyful chaos of raising three kids, whose energy keeps me on my toes. I am originally from Ukraine but am now living the Swedish dream in a house that is close to nature. I love having my own yard where I often see squirrels and deer – and an apple tree that produces more fruit than I can handle! It’s a big difference coming from the bustling city of Kyiv.