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People

Celestine Akpanoko

Graduate Research Assistant
Department of Computer Science
Institute for Software Integrated Systems

(he/him)

Research Interests
My research interest revolves around the dynamic nature of social and emotional interactions in learning between students and pedagogical agents in computer-based learning environments.

Clayton Cohn

Graduate Research Assistant
Department of Computer Science
Institute for Software Integrated Systems

(he/him)

Research Interests
Clayton Cohn joined the OELE lab as a Graduate Research Assistant in Summer 2021. He is currently pursuing his PhD in Computer Science at Vanderbilt University. He completed both his BS in Computer Science with a concentration in Software Development and his MS in Computer Science with a concentration in Artificial Intelligence at DePaul University in Chicago, IL, USA. His research focuses on applying Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques to learning environments and conversational agents.

In his free time, he plays hockey and golf and is committed to learning French. He belongs to two meet-ups that help him hone his language skills and gain additional exposure to French culture. He volunteers with two charitable organizations through Vanderbilt and enjoys frequenting Nashville’s live music scene and playing guitar.

Grayson Cordell

Research Software Engineer
Institute for Software Integrated Systems

Eduardo Davalos

Graduate Research Assistant
Department of Computer Science
Institute for Software Integrated Systems

(he/him)

Research Interests
Interested in AIED – focused on Eye-Tracking + Multimodal Analysis + RL

Joyce Fonteles

Graduate Research Assistant
Department of Computer Science
Institute for Software Integrated Systems

(she/her)

Research Interests
Joined the OELE lab as a Graduate Research Assistant in Fall 2022, currently pursuing a PhD in Computer Science at Vanderbilt University. Completed both a Master in Applied Informatics and Bachelor of Computer Science at University of Fortaleza in Brazil, with a concentration in Computer Graphics, Interactive Interfaces and Music. With over 13 years of professional experience in the industry, I enjoy designing and developing high-level solutions for mobile apps and web systems focused on fast feedback, continual improvement, and rapid adaptation to change. My research interests are focused on Advanced Interactive Interfaces, Embodied Learning, Artificial Intelligence in Education, and Musical Technology.

Shruti Jain

Graduate Research Assistant
Department of Computer Science
Institute for Software Integrated Systems

(she/her)

Research Interests
I am interested in Educational Technology, particularly in designing Intelligent Learning Environments. In my spare time, I dance and paint 🙂 .

Tuan (Kevin) Le

Undergraduate Research Assistant
Department of Computer Science
Institute for Software Integrated Systems

(he/him)

Research Interests
I am all about conceptual and theoretical AI, specifically NLP. I am particularly fascinated by the thought process of machine learning models, in-context learning of LLMs, the triggers between hidden layers, Transformer architectures, and experiment with them to see what would improve the performance of Language Models.

I like playing instruments (guitar, piano, harmonica,…), singing, I like playing sports (soccer, volleyball, table tennis), I like cooking (I cook a lot for people), I like building things (robotics + AI is my passion!), but on top of everything, I like experimenting new ideas, concepts to test out and push the limits of software products I have done. 

Divya Mereddy

Graduate Research Assistant
Department of Computer Science
Institute for Software Integrated Systems

(she/her)

Research Interests
I have been working in the data science industry for the past 7 years with a passion to make the world around me a better place to live. I completed my masters at the University of Cincinnati. My research interests are computer vision and robotics. I like keeping my life diversified. I try different hobbies and spent my free time in painting, designing, gaming, dancing, and many more.

Deniz Orbay

Undergraduate Research Assistant
Department of Computer Science
Institute for Software Integrated Systems

(he/him)

Research Interests
I’m a rising junior at Vanderbilt University double majoring in Mathematics and Computer Science. I’m really passionate about filmmaking and I’m interested in pursuing software engineering after I graduate. In my free time I love playing any sport that involves a ball and binging whatever show I’m currently obsessed with.

Ashwin T. S.

Postdoctoral Fellow
Department of Computer Science
Institute for Software Integrated Systems

(he/him)

Research Interests
Dr. Ashwin T S holds a B.Tech, M.Tech, and Ph.D. in Computer Science from esteemed institutions in India. He has recently concluded his tenure as a postdoctoral fellow at the Interdisciplinary Programme in Educational Technology (IDP-ET) at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay. With over ten years of experience in both academia and industry, Dr. Ashwin has a strong research background. He has published extensively with more than 40 reputed and peer-reviewed international conferences and journal publications, including seven book chapters. Additionally, he holds Indian patents and has actively participated as a program committee member in various educational technology-related conferences. His research interests encompass Affective Computing, Artificial Intelligence in Education, Human-Computer Interaction, Learning Technologies, and Computer Vision applications. Dr. Ashwin has delivered several keynote speeches and conducted workshops in these domains. Outside of his academic pursuits, Dr. Ashwin enjoys playing table tennis and cricket during his leisure time.

Caitlin Snyder

Graduate Research Assistant
Department of Computer Science
Institute for Software Integrated Systems

(she/her)

Research Interests
Her research focuses understanding and evaluating students’ collaborative problem solving processes during complex computational modeling tasks through multimodal analysis, grounded in learning science theory. When not doing research, you can find her rooting on the Detroit Red Wings, walking her dog or reading a book.

Umesh Timalsina

Research Engineer
Institute for Software Integrated Systems

(he/him)

Research Interests
I work on various research projects in the domain of model integrated computing (MIC), Multi Modal Learning Analytics (MMLA), deep learning, and Molecular Dynamics(MD) simulations. Currently, I am involved with the EngageAI institute, working on various deep learning powered tools for education/learning research. Previously, I was in the Vanderbilt TA1 team for DARPA’s Symbiotic Design for CPS project by the Air Force Research Laboratory (FA8750-20-C-0537). I was also involved with the MoSDeF project funded under NSF Award #1835874-Software for Building a Community–Based Molecular Modeling Capability Around the Molecular Simulation Design Framework (MoSDeF). My role is to contribute to open-source research software development as well as the completion of independent research assignments on the aforementioned domains.

Caleb Vatral

Graduate Research Assistant
Department of Computer Science
Institute for Software Integrated Systems

(they/them)

Research Interests
My work primarily focuses on the application of multi-modal learning analytics through the lens of distributed cognition to competency-based experiential learning and training environments. When I am not working, you can usually find me playing board and video games with my friends, working on developing small video games, watching anime, or hiking in the parks surrounding Nashville with my wife.

Jiayi Wu

Undergraduate Research Assistant
Department of Computer Science
Institute for Software Integrated Systems

(she/her)

Research Interests
I am a rising senior at Vanderbilt University, majoring in Computer Science & Math.

Former Members

Nicole Hutchins
Ben Yett
Anabil Munshi
Ningyu Zhang
Shitanshu Mishra
Allison Moore
Ramkumar Rajendran
Yi Dong
Mona Emara
Michael Tscholl
Brian Gauch
Davut Disci
Satabdi Basu
John Kinnebrew
Cheng Ye
James R. Segedy
Anton Dukeman
Kirk Loretz
Jaymes Winger
Brian Sulcer
Hogyeong Jeong
Jason Tan
Jonathan Barrett
Krittaya Leelawong
Nancy Morabito
Rod Roscoe
Roger Taylor
Thomas Katzelberger