Hello, I'm Shashank Sonkar, currently a PhD student at Rice University advised by Dr. Richard G. Baraniuk, with a specialization in Natural Language Processing (NLP) for personalized education. My research addresses three critical aspects of AI-powered education: pedagogical alignment of LLMs, advanced learner modeling, and intelligent assessment, which directly correspond to three key factors that determine educational learning outcomes: instructional approach, learner understanding, and assessment quality respectively. Please find my publications here (three new EMNLP'24 and one LAK'25 accepted papers coming soon).
In the area of pedagogical alignment, I developed the CLASS framework and code soliloquies technique to ground LLM tutoring systems in established learning science principles. My work in learner modeling includes the question-centric Deep Knowledge Tracing (qDKT) approach and novel frameworks like DUPE and MalAlgoQA, exploring how LLMs can simulate complex student reasoning processes. For intelligent assessment, I created the 'Marking' and Automated Long Answer Grading (ALAG) systems, which provide nuanced, automated feedback on student responses.
My work has been published in top venues across AI, education, and natural language processing, including EMNLP, COLING, AIED, EDM, and LAK. The educational AI systems I've developed are currently being deployed in chemistry courses at Rice University, demonstrating their practical impact in real educational environments.
Prior to my doctoral studies, I worked at Media.net in Mumbai, developing NLP and RL algorithms for contextual advertising. I hold a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science & Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur.
My research aims to democratize access to quality education through AI-enhanced, personalized learning experiences. I integrate insights from natural language processing and learning sciences to create more effective, scalable, and pedagogically grounded educational technologies.
Email : sonkar.iitk@gmail.com, ss164@rice.edu