Welcome!

Welcome to the echolab website at Virginia Tech. Our mission is to explore and develop methods to foster empathic interactions among individuals using computational systems. Our research is grounded in the empathy framework depicted below. It focuses on three key themes: computational tools for perspective sharing by empathizers, computers as an expressive medium for targets, and the facilitation of empathic communication for both groups. Additionally, we are committed to studying how to create safe environments where targets can be safely vulnerable.

echolab is looking for MS/Ph.D. students interested in designing, building, and studying novel interactive systems. We plan to admit one or two Ph.D. students for Fall 2027. Please apply through the CS@VT program and list me as a potential advisor.

Because I receive many inquiries, I’m generally unable to meet with prospective students individually before reviewing the full applicant pool. After applications are reviewed, I may reach out to applicants whose interests closely match ongoing projects in the group. So save your email.

To get a sense of fit, please read my recent publications on which I am the last author (these reflect my students’ work and the lab’s current directions). If, after reading several of them, you are not sure or that does not excite you, echolab may not be the best match.

If you are already at Virginia Tech and would like to do research with echolab, please fill out this survey and I will respond: https://forms.gle/gfsvheq8U6YNrGby7

We envision that echolab is…

  • A platform where members develop into independent researchers and achieve their career goals.
  • An opportunity for individuals to discover that giving—through teaching, helping, sharing, and collaborating—enhances their own growth and success.
  • A source of social capital that enables learning from each other.
  • A community where inclusion is prioritized, and members feel connected.
  • A group that contributes to society and the world by producing and disseminating new knowledge.
  • An environment where individuals can be more productive than in any other setting.
  • A socio-technical system designed to scale the above visions.

Recent News

News (roughly) older than a year will be available here.

Research Highlights

(ongoing) Facilitating socially constructed learning through a shared, mobile-based virtual reality platform in informal learning settings

TBD

TBD