Our Team
Dr. Jina Kang
Advisor
Dr. Kang is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She received a Ph.D. and M.A. in Educational Technologies from the University of Texas at Austin. She also holds a M.S. and a Bachelor’s in Astronomy and Space Science. Prior to joining UIUC, she was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences at Utah State University. Her research centers on three interrelated areas: data science, data-driven design, and STEM education. The first strand of work focuses on the area of data science in terms of methodologies and skills. Her work examines different analytical approaches of data science in understanding learning in science and investigates data science skills required in science disciplines. The second research strand centers on data-driven design. More specifically, this research strand pertains to the design of technology-enhanced learning environments for science learning using data science methodologies. Follow her scholarly publication including peer-reviewed journal articles and conference proceedings on her ResearchGate or Google Scholar.
Graduate Students
Robin Jephthah Rajarathinam
Robin Jephthah Rajarathinam is a Ph.D. candidate in Curriculum & Instruction at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, specializing in multimodal learning analytics and educational data mining. At Immerse Data Lab, he explores AI-driven educational tools, sensor-based data analysis, and machine learning to improve collaborative learning experiences in K-12 and higher education spaces. His research spans computer vision, speech analytics, and pedagogical AI in immersive learning environments. When he's not analyzing data, Robin enjoys playing video games, soccer, and badminton, and cooking. Learn more about his work: Website | LinkedIn
Chris Palaguachi
Chris Palaguachi is a 4th year doctoral student in Educational Psychology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. His research focuses on computational and multimodal learning analytics to study student engagement, collaboration, and persistence in digital learning environments. In the Iab, he has led the dev team in designing and refining HoloOrbits for both HoloLens 2 and WebGL platforms, as well as works to mentor undergraduate researchers in both computer science and instructional design. His work on HoloOrbits has been presented at national and international conferences, and is published in the Journal of Educational Data Mining. Outside of the lab, Chris enjoys boxing, playing pickleball, baking, and walking his dog. For more about Chris, visit his research website or contact him at cwp5@illinois.edu.
Rodrigo Hidalgo
PhD Student, Curriculum & Instruction, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Rachel Zhou
PhD Student, Curriculum & Instruction, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Undergraduate Students
Jacob Sobel
Jacob F. Sobel is a senior at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign studying Learning and Education Studies with a concentration in Educational Technology, with a Minor in Game Studies & Design and a certificate in Museum Studies. His interest lies in the research, design, and development of educational technology for inner-city students in informal spaces. Their involvement in the lab expands to aiding the research process, analyzing qualitative audio and video data, and editing educational content. He can be reached at jacobfs@illinois.edu.
Helen Ryding
Helen Ryding is a junior at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign studying Computer Science with a minor in Game Studies and Design. Her interests lie in human-computer interaction, user design, and computer graphics, and she is passionate about creating immersive learning environments using virtual simulations and XR. In the lab, she works as an undergraduate developer for the HoloOrbits application in the Unity game engine. Outside of her research, she enjoys drawing, playing video games, and playing the piano. She can be reached at hryding2@illinois.edu.
Navomi Byju
Navomi Byju is a junior at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign studying Computer Science with a minor in Mathematics. She can be reached at nbyju2@illinois.edu.
Arunima Suri
Arunima (Nima) is a sophomore at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign studying Computer Science and Education, Learning Sciences, with a minor in Data Science. Her passion lies in designing and developing technology that engages users and helps them learn. Her work in the lab spans many different areas from designing the HoloOrbits simulation on Figma to curating the educational content to preparing and analyzing user feedback. Outside of the lab, she enjoys traveling, baking, and going to concerts. She can be reached at suri7@illinois.edu.
Ellen Min
Ellen Min is a freshman at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign studying Brain & Cognitive Science. She can be reached at ellenym2@illinois.edu.