Artificial Intelligence (AI) presents a new paradigm to academic research and has received wide attention due to its potential to influence key aspects of education and scholarly works such as instructional design, technological development, and teaching methodology. Questions have been raised about how AI can be infused into research without compromising quality in learning and instruction. In particular, how AI can be designed to complement human factors. The nexus between AI and human factors in the context of academic research remains relatively less explored. Yet, a human factors perspective on the use of AI applications in academic research is critical to optimise performance of both the system and user. To address this gap in knowledge, a case study was undertaken to help shed more understanding on the following dimensions: (a) the role of the researcher in the application of AI enabled research; (b) Challenges with the use of AI for academic research; and (c) ways in which human factors contribute to addressing challenges with AI in academic research. The study identified prompt engineering, critical thinking as key enablers for optimizing academic research using AI. In addition, challenges such as compatibility of AI and human intelligence, environment and technology were found. It is recommended that designs of AI systems for academic research should be anchored on both humanness and efficiency.