Future Work and Learning
Research Faculty
As applied problem solvers, we develop and apply innovative training and learning approaches that empower people to fulfill an active role in society through education, participation, engagement, innovation and entrepreneurship.
Each faculty member on our research team brings unique industry experience and far-reaching academic collaborations from a wide range of disciplines, including:
- Computational Thinking & Cyberlearning
- STEM Education Research
- Design
- User Experience
- Organization and Leadership
- Workforce Development
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Vetria Byrd
Assistant Professor, CGT
Co-Lead
Data visualization, visualization of heterogeneous data, higher order thinking, visualization capacity building
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Luciana de Cresce El Debs
Assistant Professor, CMT
Co-Lead
Design and construction integration and education, teamwork and collaboration in AEC industry, offsite construction

Mesut Akdere
Professor, TLI & Director, Purdue HRD VR Lab
Human resources, STEM workforce development, simulated training (virtual augmented, and mixed reality), and organization development and change
Paul Asunda
Associate Professor, TLI
Integrated STEM education, career and college success; assessment and transfer of learning; and Professional development practices across the professional continuum

Farid Breidi
Assistant Professor, SOET
Digital Fluid Power Systems, Mechanical Design, Modeling and Simulation, and STEM Education

Soowon Chang
Assistant Professor, CM
Smart and Sustainable Buildings and Human-Urban-Building Interaction
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Yunfeng Chen
Assistant Professor, CMT
Automation, Robotics, and Ergonomics in Construction and Transportation
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Hazar Nicholas Dib
Associate Professor, CMT
Design, Development and Validation of innovative educational tools and technologies. Interactive Virtual Learning Environment
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Nathalie Duval-Couetil
Professor, TLI & Director, Certificate in Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Entrepreneurship education, technology commercialization, professional development, program evaluation, gender and diversity.

Adel El-Shahat
Assistant Professor, SOET
Energy Systems such as Electric vehicle charging systems, Renewable energy systems, and Smart nano & micro-grids

Nandhini Giri
Assistant Professor, CGT
Design Expertise, Entertainment Graphics Industry Practices, Sustainable & Enjoyable Experiences

Kyubyung "Kyu" Kang
Assistant Professor, SCMT
Smart Infrastructure and Asset Management, Digital Crowdsourcing Data, Charging Infrastructure for Electric Vehicles

Dominic Kao
Assistant Professor, CIT
Human-computer interaction, STEM education, games, virtual/augmented reality

Umit Karabiyik
Assistant Professor, CIT
Data analytics, Data-driven decision making, Mathematical and statistical modeling

Julius Keller
Assistant Professor, SATT
General aviation human factors, safety programs, flight training and education
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Tianyi Li
Assistant Professor, CIT
new technologies to support complex sensemaking, specifically, through designing and developing systems for computer-supported cooperative work and human-AI interaction

Alejandra Magana
Cyberlearning in STEM; Model-based reasoning through modeling and simulation; Computational thinking; Computational cognitive apprenticeships; Teamwork pedagogy; Online learning in STEM; Embodied cognition.

Claudio Martani
Assistant Professor, SCMT
Future-ready design, sensing and responding built environment, flexible and resilient infrastructure, uncertainty modelling and scenario simulations.

Paul Parsons
Assistant Professor, CGT
Human-computer interaction, learning technologies, cognitive psychology

Melaku Tadesse
Clinical Assistant Professor, SATT
Competency Based Education in Aviation, and Safety Management Systems in Aviation

Austin Toombs
Assistant Professor, CGT
Community formation and maintenance, Sociotechnical systems, Interpersonal and informal care

Tracy Yother
Assistant Professor, SATT
Aerospace maintenance and manufacturing education using modern technology innovations