Photos by Alisha Mendez, Tabbs Mosier/ASU Enterprise Technology
Kevin Mosen, Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering
Kevin, a freshman studying computer science with a concentration in cybersecurity, is diving headfirst into the possibilities of artificial intelligence as an AI Scholar at ASU. Drawn by a community of builders, he quickly moved from AI training to experimentation and creation, collaborating with fellow AI Scholars on an AI-powered essay feedback tool during a recent hackathon.
Through hands-on training and teamwork, Kevin is exploring a range of industry leading tools while learning ethical use and design of AI. For him, the program is a launchpad: building real skills, confidence and momentum for an AI-shaped future.
“I feel very confident in my ASU education,” said Kevin. “You're able to see that professors and the faculty at ASU recognize that AI is fundamentally changing the education system. The university is moving quite quickly, launching new programs and new classes to try and adapt towards that change.”
Abraham Lozano Serna and Mariam Serghat, Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering
Abraham and Mariam are both pursuing their education at ASU through the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering. Abraham is working towards a master’s degree in robotics and autonomous systems while Mariam is in her third year as an undergraduate in computer science.
Both are student interns on the AI Acceleration team who are supporting how emerging AI technologies are developed and used across campus; Abraham focuses on the technical design while Mariam tailors the user experience (UX) for AI systems.
Together, they are developing an AI-powered companion that creates personalized study experiences by identifying knowledge gaps and generating tailored study plans to help students prepare more efficiently for exams.
Anitah Murungi, Thunderbird School of Global Management
Anitah is a second-year Global Business graduate student who has been deeply involved in advancing AI adoption through her work with the university's AI Acceleration team.
She helps manage one-on-one consultations for faculty and staff who are using CreateAI Builder, the university’s flagship AI tool kit. Through continuous feedback collection and user research, Anitah helps to bridge the gap between faculty and emerging AI while identifying ways to improve the platform.
As ASU explores agentic AI workflows, Anitah is immersed in helping shape how these tools are introduced, understood and continuously improved across the institution. “Part of my role is to bridge the gap between the technical and nontechnical side of AI,” said Anitah, who is graduating this May.
CreateAI is an AI tool kit built by ASU, for ASU. As CreateAI gains momentum and scales to thousands across the university, Anitah noted the importance of continuous improvement: “As we create projects, we need to make sure that, at the very end, the ideas serve who we are building them for.”
Danielle McNamara, Learning Engineering Institute
A dynamic force in AI innovation, 2026 ASU Regents Professor and executive director of the Learning Engineering Institute, Danielle McNamara, is reimagining how ASU teaches and creates in an AI-powered world.
From co-developing a learning design suite to writing analytics toolkits, Danielle’s work sits at the intersection of Principled Innovation® and learning engineering. Partnering closely with faculty and institutional leaders, she is shaping strategies that prepare students and educators for writing, language development and more in the age of AI.
When asked about the future of AI, Danielle noted what she is looking forward to: “I think the real promise is in AI orchestration. Orchestrating the human in the loop and the learning process so that it includes both AI-facilitated activities and humans.”
Her vision goes beyond tools to connect people, ideas and technology, which will unlock more adaptive and personalized learning. The result: students who think critically, communicate clearly and leverage AI confidently to create, explore and lead.
Jordan Coulston, John Shufeldt School of Medicine and Medical Engineering
As the assistant dean of clinical education at the John Shufeldt School of Medicine and Medical Engineering, Jordan Coulston is helping reimagine how future physicians practice clinical care. Working with ASU’s AI Acceleration team, the group has developed a set of AI-powered avatars that simulate patient-provider interactions.
Combining generative, multimodal and agentic AI capabilities, the system is designed for future medical students to ask diagnostic questions, navigate clinical conversations, and reflect on their decisions. Each simulated patient represents a unique story and set of symptoms, with avatars displaying emotional reactions that include confusion or frustration. Students receive an instant evaluation that scores across 25 custom areas, including history-taking, communication, and clinical reasoning.
Rather than replacing bedside learning, Jordan sees the technology as a powerful way to strengthen medical training and better prepare students for patient care. “What we're trying to do is bring a level of precision to prepare the learner for the future space.” said Jordan. “These AI avatars are really thought of as a way to add value to the future experience.”
Ohad Kadan, W. P. Carey School of Business
Ohad Kadan, Charles J. Robel Dean and W. P. Carey Distinguished Chair in Business, is driving a comprehensive strategy to embed AI across four key areas of the school: curriculum, teaching and learning, thought leadership, and operations.
From offering the first Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence in Business by a U.S. business school to reinventing classroom experiences with AI-powered tools like CreateAI Builder, W. P. Carey is preparing students, faculty, and staff to stay ahead of rapid change.
“We set a goal to become the leader among business schools in integrating AI, while embracing the new technology responsibly and ethically,” said Ohad.
His approach spans thought leadership — positioning faculty as experts in best practices — and operations, leveraging AI to enhance everything from admissions to career outcomes. “Using AI is part of the world right now. We need to adapt what we teach, how we teach, and the way we create knowledge and best practices in this evolving landscape.”
Gil Speyer, Research Technology Office, Knowledge Enterprise
Last year, ASU surpassed $1 billion in annual research funding, placing the university among the top 4% of research institutions nationwide. Gil Speyer and the team at Research Technology Office, part of ASU Knowledge Enterprise, play a key role in accelerating research activity across the university.
This team provides support across the research cycle – from creating proposals to planning for research needs. “We are with them all the way through to the award, and then provide research infrastructure and technical support,” shared Gil.
When asked what sets the university’s research resources apart, Gil points to ASU’s Sol supercomputer, one of the top-ranked supercomputers in the world.
Newly increased AI compute capacity is driving research capabilities “by several times over,” according to Gil. Today, ASU researchers are accelerating discovery with support of large-scale and accelerated computation across domains — from weather modeling, computational chemistry, and even applying computational research to fields like supply chain, economics and finance.
“We want to be at the forefront of making cutting edge tools available to help our researchers stay competitive,” said Gil.
Janel White-Taylor, Mary Lou Fulton College for Teaching and Learning Innovation
Janel White-Taylor currently serves as the associate director of intelligent learning systems and a clinical professor at the Mary Lou Fulton College for Teaching and Learning Innovation.
She and her colleagues have been using CreateAI’s Syllabot, an AI chatbot that helps students quickly find answers to common course questions, for six semesters in large-enrollment courses with hundreds of students and multiple instructors.
The results have been encouraging. More than 88% of students used Syllabot during the semester, often returning to it repeatedly at key moments: before exams, around assignment deadlines and when planning their coursework.
For instructors, the tool saves time and creates space for deeper conversations with students. For learners, it provides a personalized 24/7 resource that meets them where they are.
One design principle is particularly important: Syllabot does not fabricate answers. When it cannot respond confidently, it directs students back to their instructor.
Syllabot is one example of the many ways that Janel and her colleagues are using AI approaches to best prepare students to navigate their own futures.
Kyle Jensen, The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
At the forefront of AI transformation at ASU, Kyle Jensen is building the infrastructure to help faculty and students navigate a rapidly evolving academic landscape.
Prior to his current role as assistant dean of AI and emerging digital technologies in The College, Kyle was the director of writing on the Tempe campus, where he helped to pioneer generative AI in writing which continues today.
Now, he is leading initiatives like the AI Academy, uniting faculty across The College's 18 academic units to work together to create valuable resources and prepare students for an AI-driven future.
His work centers on “creating healthier dialogue between faculty and students both for, and with, AI.” Kyle is currently working on an AI feedback tool that collects student insights and shares data analyzed with faculty in real time, fostering communication about learning effectiveness and AI use.
His approach uses AI to strengthen trust, surface challenges and “collapse the distance” that AI and lack of communication can create in the classroom. This ensures that technology enhances, rather than disrupts, the learning experience.
Christina Leonard and Julia Wallace, Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication and and ASU NEWSWELL
Julia Wallace and Christina Leonard are catalyzing critical conversations at the intersection of AI and trustworthy news.
In partnership with Knight Center for the Future of News at ASU's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication and ASU NEWSWELL, they and their colleagues convened nearly 200 U.S. leaders in journalism, technology and education for the inaugural National Journalism + AI Accelerator. The January event created space for an in-depth exchange on how AI is impacting credibility, ethics and storytelling.
Their work brings together diverse perspectives to surface new ideas and practical approaches, helping journalism navigate rapid transformation into an AI-driven information landscape.