The team
Students and researchers from engineering, computing and beyond, and the alumni who built the lab.
Kyle Johnsen, PhD
Professor, College of Engineering · Associate Director for Research & Outreach, UGA Institute for Artificial Intelligence
Virtual and mixed reality, collaborative XR, human-robot interaction, virtual humans for health and education.
Founded the VEL in 2008
PhD students
Andrew Rukangu
PhD student, College of Engineering
2018 - present
Collaborative mixed reality and XR for robotics education.
Dissertation: From Robots to Realities: Engineering Extended Reality for Learning and Collaboration (2026)
Yulong Wang
PhD student, School of Computing
2018 - present
Photoreal 3D capture of real places and mixed reality simulations of floods and extreme weather, for the lab's NOAA-funded preparedness work.
Master's students
Nash Carroll
MS student, School of Computing
2025 - present
Extending Drawn Together with interactive virtual patients for medical training, and running user studies.
Undergraduate researchers
Alec VanWonterghem
Undergraduate researcher, Electrical Engineering
2026 - present
Novel XR interaction devices.
Jordan Smothers
Undergraduate researcher, School of Computing
2025 - present
Mixed reality robot teleoperation.
High-school researchers
Bodey Farfour
High-school researcher, UGA Young Dawgs program
2026 - present
Alumni
Eric Shindell
MS, School of Computing
2025 - 2026
Olivia Fairlamb
Undergraduate student worker
- 2026
Rishab Seshadri
Undergraduate researcher, Computer Science
2023 - 2024
Ethan Bowmar
Master of Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of Engineering
2024 - 2025
Thesis: Proprioceptive Puppeteering: Enhancing Lower-Body Control in Virtual Avatars (2025)
Brook Bowers
PhD, School of Computing
2019 - 2024
Dissertation: ENVISIONing the Use of Augmented and Virtual Reality in Computer Science Education (2024)
Anton Franzluebbers
PhD, College of Engineering
2016 - 2024
Dissertation: Design and Deployment of Convergent XR Experiences (2024)
Javier Rodriguez
PhD, College of Engineering
2023 - 2024
Dissertation: Automated Unmanned Systems and Data Analytics for In-field Digital Crop Phenotyping (2024)
Catherine Ball
PhD, College of Engineering
2015 - 2023
Dissertation: Design and Field Implementation of Virtual Buddy-Based Serious Games for Children (2023)
AJ Tuttle
BS, College of Engineering
2018 - 2022
Matthew Funkhouser
BS, Franklin College Department of Computer Science
2021 - 2022
Andrew Phipps
BS, Franklin College Department of Computer Science
2021 - 2022
Nicholas Gonzalez
BS, Franklin College Department of Computer Science
2021 - 2022
Nathan Wynn
MS, Department of Computer Science
2021 - 2023
Brooke Burgh
BS, College of Engineering
2016 - 2019
Aryabrata Basu
PhD, Department of Computer Science
2010 - 2018
Dissertation: Designing and evaluating ubiquitous wearable virtual reality (2018)
Benjamin Manning
PhD, College of Engineering
2016 - 2018
Dissertation: Improving hour-ahead hybrid solar irradiance prediction using deep learning and sky images (2018)
York Delloyd
BS, College of Engineering
2016 - 2018
Talal Alothman
MS, Department of Computer Science
2016 - 2017
Thesis: The effects of egocentric interaction techniques and user-performed task on problem solving in virtual reality (2017)
Michael Melatti
BS, College of Engineering
2016 - 2017
Michael Bottone
MS, Department of Computer Science
2015 - 2016
Thesis: A system to bring real time reconstructions of objects into the virtual environment for use in interaction-intensive applications (2016)
Kenneth Bogert
PhD, Department of Computer Science
2010 - 2016
Dissertation: Inverse reinforcement learning for robotic applications: hidden variables, multiple experts and unknown dynamics (2016)
Danny Mason
BS, College of Engineering
2016
Elliott Tanner
BS, College of Engineering
2013 - 2015
Rafael Silva
Master of Internet Technology, College of Engineering
2013 - 2014
Colby Sweet
BS, College of Engineering
2012 - 2013
Peter Wins
BS, College of Engineering
2011 - 2014
Tyler Niles
MS, Faculty of Engineering
2009 - 2011
Thesis: Evaluation of two novel methods for finger-mounted unobstructed touch force sensing in medical simulators (2011)
Animesh Thakre
MS, Department of Computer Science
2009 - 2011
Thesis: Evaluation of SIMPLE (Semantically Improved Matching Procedure for Language Enabled) conversational agents (2011)
Qian Ma
MS, Department of Computer Science
2009 - 2010
Thesis: Enabling a multi-party conversational virtual agent through head and mouth motion tracking (2010)