THiCC Lab Members

Dr. Christopher L. Dancy – Director of THiCC Lab

Dr. Chris Dancy, PI and Director of THiCC Lab. (picture)

Dr. Chris Dancy interest and expertise lies at the intersections of human behavior, computational systems, and sociocultural structures. He uses theoretical perspectives from computational cognitive science and Black studies to ground his research at these intersections. To study the processes that define these interactions, Dr. Dancy uses computational cognitive modeling, human behavioral studies, and design & implementation considerations of computational (particularly “AI”) systems.

Current Graduate Students (Spring ’24)

 
Deja Workman THiCC Lab profile picture
Deja Workman is a PhD student in Information Sciences and Technology at Penn State and a graduate research assistant in THiCC Lab. In 2022 she graduated from Penn State with a B.S. in information sciences and technology. Her current research project focuses on anti-blackness in the artificial intelligence development process, and her past research projects include testing learning theories on complex tasks as well as diversity in STEM education and inclusive instructor behaviors.
Picture of Meera Ray. She has straight black hair and glasses, and is wearing a blue shirt or dress with flowers on it.
Meera Ray is a first year PhD student in Computer Science and Engineering at Penn State and a graduate research assistant in THiCC Lab. She graduated with a B.S. in Statistics and Machine Learning from Carnegie Mellon in 2023. Her research aims to articulate how artificial intelligence interacts with social hierarchies. Meera’s current research project, developing a cognitive model of human decision making in disaster situations, is with the AI Institute for Societal Decision Making (AI-SDM).
Swapnika Dulam profile image
Swapnika Dulam is a Second year Masters student in Computer Science at Penn State and a Graduate Research Assistant in THiCC Lab. She is from India and did her Integrated Dual Degree (B.Tech + M.Tech (CSE)) in JNTUHCEH, Hyderabad, India. She has four years of industry experience as a full stack developer and also designed distributed systems using Restful API. Her Current research project focuses on Human AI Interaction where she is working on Minecraft malmo environment.
Haya Alshayji
Haya Alshayji is currently advancing her academic journey as a Ph.D. candidate at Pennsylvania State University’s College of Engineering, with a focus on integrating machine learning, data science, and statistical modeling in her studies. Recently, she expanded her research experience by joining THiCC Lab as a research assistant. For three years, she has been an active member of the Artificial Intelligence Lab, where she has been instrumental in cross-disciplinary research projects, particularly in applying AI techniques to address healthcare disparities. Haya’s involvement in these diverse research areas highlights her commitment to leveraging AI for social good and advancing the field of data science.
Default PSU student picture (Ayush Tanwar)
Ayush Tanwar is a 1st year MS student in Computer Science and Engineering.

Currrent Undergraduate Students (Spring ’24)

 
Default PSU student picture (Allan Julian)
Allan Julian
Default PSU student picture (Dixon Zor)
Dixon Zor
Default PSU student picture (Emi Erekosima)
Emi Erekosima
A picture of Sharon Liu. She has straight black hair and is wearing a green shirt with black pants. She is sitting on a rock with trees and a pond in the background
Sharon Liu is a third year undergraduate student studying Computer Science and minoring in Engineering Leadership Development. Her current research lies within the AI Institute for Societal Decision-Making (AI-SDM), with a focus on disaster management and identifying a normative framework for ethical and societal considerations in disaster response during various Human-AI use patterns.
Default PSU student picture (Dipal Patel)
Dipal Patel
Default PSU student picture (Eryn Dennis)
Eryn Dennis

Lab Alum

  • Shan Wang (Penn State, PhD Candidate in IST ’24)
  • Mihir Mehta (Penn State, PhD Candidate in IE ’24)
  • Rafat Hridoy (Penn State, PhD Student in IE)
  • Mysha Nihal (Penn State, Computational Data Science ’24)
  • Virgina Nyaribari (Penn State, IME ’23)
  • Jules Ward (Bucknell, CS ’23; at Brown as MS student)
  • Rob Newton (Penn State, Industrial Engineering [PhD] ’23; Officer in Air Force now)
  • Tanishca Dwivedi (Penn State, Industrial Engineering [MS] ’24)
  • Akil Atkins (Bucknell, Psychology ’22; at Tufts as grad student now)
  • Korah Schuppius (Penn State, IST ’23)
  • Cora-Lena Aladin-Williams (Penn State, Human-Centered Design ’23)
  • Bea Case (Bucknell, Computer Science and Engineering ’22; at Notre Dame as grad student now)
  • Samantha Wurm (Bucknell, ’22; at Stanford as grad student now)
  • Khoi Lam (Bucknell, Computer Science and Engineering ’22; at Goldman Sachs now)
  • Krystell Ewing (Bucknell, Computer Science ’24)
  • Kizito Ononuju (Bucknell, Computer Science ’23)
  • Twity Gitonga (Bucknell, Computer Science and Engineering ’24)
  • Nguyen Nguyen (Bucknell, Computer Science and Engineering ’24
  • Neal Sklar (Bucknell, Computer Engineering ’22)
  • Hanzheng Wang (Bucknell, Computer Science ’22; at Penn State as grad student now)
  • Matt Brown (Bucknell, Computer Science ’20 and Post-bacc in lab 2020-21; at ASML now)