PEOPLE
Joseph E Michaelis
Director and Principle Investigator
Joe is the Director of the Learning + Interest + Technology Lab. Joe's research focuses on social interactions between children and robots in learning contexts. Interest development is at the forefront of this work, and each project is designed to utilize the social interactions with robots to support robot-assisted learning and interest in STEM domains.
Rabia Ibtasar
Graduate Research Assistant
Rabia is a PhD student at the Learning Sciences Research Institute at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Her research focuses on improving the experience of women in computer science learning environments and fostering a sense of belonging for young learners in this field.
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Paul Hatch
Graduate Research Assistant
Paul is a PhD student at the Learning Sciences Research Institute at the UIC. Prior to joining LSRI, he practiced industrial design at a global consultancy. His interests are in technology to aid learning, interest development, and visualization methods for conceptualization and collaboration.
Samuel Arnold
Graduate Research Assistant
Sam is a PhD student at the Learning Sciences Research Institute at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Sam's research focuses on designing educational technologies for improving student engagement and motivation while learning.
Md Anisur Rahman
Graduate Research Assistant
Anis is a PhD student in Computer Science at UIC. Anis's research focuses on User Interface designs for educational technologies. He has experience in HCI and as a full-stack software engineer including JavaScript, CSS, accessibility and UX design and contributes to open source and privacy initiatives. He enjoys cricket, chess and ping pong.
Veronica Grosso
Graduate Research Assistant
Veronica is a PhD student in Computer Science at UIC, specializing in research on stereotypes and biases in human-robot interaction, as well as the long-term adoption of robots within families. With expertise in human-computer interaction (HCI), she is dedicated to advancing understanding of the mental models guiding people's interactions with robots.
Undergraduate Research Assistants
Hope Jo
Research Assistant
Hope Jo is an undergraduate student majoring in Computer Science + Design at the University of Illinois Chicago. She enjoys teaching students programming, graphic design, and is interested in researching more about computer science outreach.
Diana Rodriguez
Research Assistant
Diana Rodriguez an undergraduate student at UIC majoring in Computer Science with a Minor in Mathematics. Her current interests are user interface design, human-centered computing, natural user interactions, and Digital Design/Computer Architecture. After graduation she plans to work in software development as a Full-Stack Software Developer.
Brenda Leyva
Research Assistant
Brenda Leyva is an undergraduate majoring in Computer Science at UIC. Her current interests are Networking and Cybersecurity. She aims to work as a Cybersecurity Specialist after college.
Ahmed Shah
Research Assistant
Ahmed Shah is an undergraduate majoring in Computer Science at UIC. His current interests are in Mathematics, AI and Data Science. He is also a Math Learning Assistant for Math 181 and aims to be a Data Scientist after college.
Gaeun Lee
Research Assistant
Gaeun Lee is a design student with a minor in CS planing to join the new CS&DES major at UIC. She is interested in researching ways to improve user experiences while interacting with robots.
Alumni
Sylvia Joseph
Research Assistant
Ese Omene
Research Assistant
Isaac Felix
Research Assistant
Aishat Durojaiye
Research Assistant
Fernando Mantilla
Research Assistant
Aliza Lisan
Graduate Research Assistant
Zara Bangash
Research Assistant
Ravel Valdez
Research Assistant
Haeun Kim
Research Assistant
Emily Carroso
Research Assistant
Meghan Guo
Research Assistant
Daniyal Siddiqui
Research Assistant
Sarah Athar
Research Assistant
Hilda Mendoza-Avila
Research Assistant
Kelsey Schultz
Research Assistant
Angie Salguero
Research Assistant
Grace Pnacek
Research Assistant
Cecilia Heineke
Research Assistant
Kessie Olekanma
Research Assistant
Rose Maxime
Research Assistant
Seema Khan
Research Assistant
Samhita Chandu
Research Assistant
Amanda Wolski
Research Assistant
Seyfal Sultanov
Research Assistant