Team

Dr. Prabu David is Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs at Rochester Institute of Technology. His research focuses on developing human-centered AI that is ethical and trustworthy, with recent publications in facial recognition technology, algorithmic bias, AI governance, and privacy. Previously, he was dean of the College of Communication at Michigan State University. His other experiences include serving as associate dean of the Murrow College of Communication at Washington State University and as Director of Undergraduate Studies at the School of Communication at Ohio State University. He earned his bachelor’s degree in physics from Loyola College in Chennai, India, a master’s degree in journalism from Ohio University and Ph.D. in Mass Communication from University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

Dr. Hyesun Choung is an assistant professor in the Brian Lamb School of Communication at Purdue University. She studies the psychological and ethical implications of artificial intelligence in human communication. Her research examines how people perceive, trust, and morally evaluate AI systems, particularly in domains such as health, education, and organizational decision-making. Drawing on theories from communication, psychology, and human-computer interaction, she investigates how individuals assign agency and responsibility to AI—and how these perceptions shape human judgment and behavior. Dr. Choung earned her Ph.D. in Mass Communication from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and previously served as a faculty member and postdoctoral research associate at Michigan State University.

Dr. Hasan Mahmud is a Postdoctoral Research Associate at Rochester Institute of Technology. His research focuses on the psychology of AI, particularly in the areas of human-AI collaboration and algorithmic decision-making. He studies the integration of AI into decision processes and the resulting psychological outcomes, such as algorithm aversion and appreciation. His work investigates the effects of algorithmic decisions on human judgment and behavior to inform the design of AI systems that are responsible, fair, and aligned with societal values. Dr. Mahmud holds a Ph.D. in Software Engineering, an MBA in Marketing, and an M.Sc. in International Business and Entrepreneurship. Prior to academia, he spent 12 years in the banking sector, where he led projects on business process automation and decision support systems.

Dr. Shan Xu is a researcher and educator specializing in how people interact with technology. She serves as an Associate Professor in the College of Media and Communication at Texas Tech University. Her research centers on human-AI collaboration and the social and psychological impacts of emerging technologies, with particular attention to social support, health, and well-being. Taking a longitudinal, dynamic theoretical framework, Dr. Xu investigates how human-AI interactions evolve over time. She employs methods such as longitudinal studies, ecological momentary assessment, time series analysis, dynamic panel modeling, and machine learning algorithms to uncover complex patterns in human-technology interaction.

Dr. Mohammad Javad Khojasteh is a Gleason Endowed Assistant Professor at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). Before joining RIT, he held postdoctoral positions at Marine Physical Laboratory (MPL) at Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO), Department of Mechanical Engineering and Laboratory for Information and Decision Systems (LIDS) at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and Center for Autonomous Systems and Technologies (CAST) at California Institute of Technology (Caltech), where he worked with Team CoSTAR as visitor at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Dr. Khojasteh received Ph.D. and M.Sc degrees in Electrical and Computer Engineering from University of California San Diego (UCSD) in 2019 and 2017, respectively. He completed his B.Sc. degree in both Electrical Engineering and Mathematics from Sharif University of Technology in 2015. Dr. Khojasteh's publications, co-authored with colleagues and students, have received awards, including Tammy L. Blair Student Paper Award from the International Society of Information Fusion.

Anurag Mishra is a master’s student in Artificial Intelligence at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), currently collaborating with Dr. Prabhu David on empathy research using advanced NLP techniques. His work primarily focuses on developing and evaluating empathetic communication strategies in large language models, particularly addressing ethical considerations and improving AI-human interactions. Anurag also has experience in deepfake detection and computer vision through his past roles as a Machine Learning Research Assistant and Machine Learning Researcher.

Zachary Deng is a second-year student at RIT double majoring in Game Design and Development and an individualized program studying AI and social-emotional learning. He is interested in bringing games, AI, technology, and motivation science together to foster effective learning and collaboration.