Dr. Ashwin T S
Dr. Ashwin T S
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I am a Research Scientist at the Institute for Software Integrated Systems and an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science at Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee. I work in the areas of Affective Computing, Multimodal Learning Analytics, and Human-Computer Interaction in Education. My research develops deep learning and generative AI methods that integrate video, audio, gaze, speech, and log data to study engagement, regulation, and collaboration in STEM+C, open-ended, and mixed-reality learning environments. I also work on privacy-preserving, fair, and responsible AI in education. My work spans 80+ peer-reviewed publications (h-index 18), including eight recognized with best paper awards or nominations.
My current research can be broadly described as "Multimodal, multisensor student engagement analysis in various learning environments".
News
News
Aug 2026 Poster on human-object interaction and gaze analysis for mixed-reality medical training presented at MHSRS 2026, Orlando, FL.
2026 New papers at LAK26 (x2), ACM SAC 2026, and ISLS 2026; paper at the CVPR 2026 Workshop on Computer Vision for Education; book chapter on fair and inclusive educational AI published by UNESCO MGIEP.
May 2026 Served on the NSF Translation to Practice review panel.
Dec 2025 Appointed Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Science, Vanderbilt University; now teaching Foundation of Machine Learning.
2025 Two Best Paper Nominations at I/ITSEC 2025 and one at ICCE 2025.
May 2025 New DOD-funded project on evaluating and supporting teamwork in mixed-reality training environments (Co-PI, USD 1.2M).
2025 Multisensor dataset of students working on mental rotation tasks published in Scientific Data (Nature Portfolio).
Feb 2025 Served on the NSF RITEL (AI Education Systems) review panel.
2024 Best Paper Nominations at AIED 2024 and ICCE 2024; Best Student Paper Award at IEEE TALE 2024 with mentored students.
Research Experience
Research Experience
Adjunct Assistant Professor, College of Connected Computing,
Computer Science, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA — Dec 2025 – Present
Research Scientist, Institute for Software Integrated Systems
Computer Science, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA — Aug 2024 – Present
Postdoctoral Scholar – Research, Institute for Software Integrated Systems
Computer Science, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA — Aug 2023 – July 2024
Postdoctoral Fellow, Inter-Disciplinary Programme in Educational Technology
Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai, India — Oct 2021 – July 2023
Ph.D. Scholar, Department of Computer Science and Engineering
National Institute of Technology Karnataka, Surathkal, India — July 2015 – Nov 2020
Thesis: "Development of Unobtrusive Affective Computing Framework for Students’ Engagement Analysis in Classroom Environment" Certificate awarded on 23rd November 2020
Funded Projects
Funded Projects
Project Title: Affectbots: Affect Aware Video Bots for Course Content Delivery in Higher Education
Project Title: Affectbots: Affect Aware Video Bots for Course Content Delivery in Higher Education
Role: Co-principal Investigator (Principal Investigator: Ramkumar Rajendran)
Duration: 18 Months
Fund: Rs: 49,56,000
Project Code: TDP-3/2023/SE/008
Project Title: Upskill and support Teachers to integrate Technology in teaching-learning-assessment approaches & methodologies, across grades 6-10, and Improve students' learning engagement & outcomes with digital learning in process.
Project Title: Upskill and support Teachers to integrate Technology in teaching-learning-assessment approaches & methodologies, across grades 6-10, and Improve students' learning engagement & outcomes with digital learning in process.
Role: Co-principal Investigator (Principal Investigator: Ramkumar Rajendran)
Duration: 6 Months
Fund: Rs: 8,72,256
Project Title: De-Identification and Facial Expression Preservation for Ethical AI in Education
Project Title: De-Identification and Facial Expression Preservation for Ethical AI in Education
Role: Principal Investigator
Duration: 4 Months
Fund: 4000$
Project Title: Evaluating and Supporting Teamwork in Mixed-Reality Training Environments
Project Title: Evaluating and Supporting Teamwork in Mixed-Reality Training Environments
Role: Co-Principal Investigator
Funding Agency: U.S. Department of Defense (DOD)
Duration: 2 Years (starting May 2025)
Fund: USD 1,204,407
Project Title: GENAI Empowered National Initiative for Upholding STEM+C Education (GENIUS)
Project Title: GENAI Empowered National Initiative for Upholding STEM+C Education (GENIUS)
Role: Senior Personnel
Funding Agency: Institute of Education Sciences (IES), with the University of Georgia
Duration: 3 Years (starting September 2024)
Fund: USD 2,184,750
Project Title: AI Institute: The Institute for an AI-Engaged Future of Learning (Engage AI)
Project Title: AI Institute: The Institute for an AI-Engaged Future of Learning (Engage AI)
Role: Senior Personnel
Funding Agency: National Science Foundation (NSF), with North Carolina State University
Duration: 5 Years (starting October 2021)
Fund: USD 3,916,744
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