Dr. Nikita Soni is the founder and director of the Engaging Learning and Creativity Interaction Experiences Lab at the University of Illinois Chicago. She earned her Ph.D. in Human-Centered Computing from the University of Florida. Her research interests include Human-Computer Interaction, Child-Computer Interaction, Education Technology, and Computer-Supported Collaborative Work. 
Contact: nnsoni@uic.edu
Webpage: www.nikitasoni.me

Shanghao Li is a Ph.D. student in Computer Science. Her research interest involves human-computer interaction, data visualization, and VR/AR. Her goals are to design and develop interactive and enjoyable user experiences to support learning and collaboration. 
Project(s): Creativity Support Tools, Geo-Data on Sphere
Contact: sli261@uic.edu
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shanghao-li-9a8902253/

Francesca is an international student at UIC with a bachelor's in Computer Engineering. She is in part of a double-degree project with the Politecnico of Turin, and in the last semester of her Master’s degree in Computer Science here at UIC while also completing a Master’s in Computer Engineering in Turin. Her goals is giving life to things that are meaningful to people and serve a purpose which led her to develop an interest in HCI  and interaction design.
Project(s): Creativity Support Tools
Contact: ffusco2@uic.edu
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/francesca-fusco-522b74291/ 

Kshiteesh (Ash) Kandari is engaged in the pursuit of a Master’s Degree in Computer Science at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He believes that the user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) of educational applications have a massive impact on the realm of learning. He aspire to make meaningful contributions within the domain of learning applications while focusing particularly on the app development lifecycle for specialized learning tools tailored for children with unique needs.
Project(s): Geo-Data on Sphere
Contact:  kkanda2@uic.edu
LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/kshiteeshkandari/

Subha Ilamathy is an aspiring Master's student in Computer Science, deeply engrossed in the realms of Multimedia Analytics, Deep Learning, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), and Efficient Computing. Her objective is to design technological solutions that are intuitive, efficient, inclusive, and tailored to meet diverse user requirements, thereby enhancing accessibility and the overall user experience. 
Project(s): Speech and Gesture
Contact: silama3@uic.edu
LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/subhailams/

Sahaja Peddaveerannagari is pursuing my Masters in Computer Science. Currently volunteering in ELICIT lab, she captivated by Human-Computer Interaction (HCI). Her aim is to improve how we use technology by understanding user needs and designing better interfaces to make tech interactions simpler and more user-friendly.
Project(s): Creativity Tools for Kids
Contact:  spedda3@uic.edu
LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/sahaja-reddyp/

Vedant Nandoskar is a Master’s student at UIC, majoring in Computer Science. He aims to explore areas of research which make interacting with computer interfaces more intuitive, more inclusive, and more accessible. Additionally, he has a few hobbies that involve painting, soccer, playing music, and reading about space.
Project(s): Tooltip Based Gesture Interaction in Virtual Reality
Contact:  vnand@uic.edu
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vedant-nandoskar-692824169/

Yamaan Nandolia is an undergraduate student pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science at UIC (May 2025). His research interests include UI/UX design and development and human-centered design with virtual and augmented reality. 
Project(s): Geo-Data-On-Sphere project 
Contact: ynand3@uic.edu
GitHub: https://github.com/YamaanNandolia

Harshit Modi is an undergraduate in Computer Science and plans to graduate in Fall 2025. He is currently exploring the field of Human Computer Interaction. Additionally, he has an interest in Software development and Computer networking. In his respected project, he aims to revolutionize user interaction by integrating cursor based functionalities.
Project(s): VisualChatGPT Modality
Contact: hmodi5@uic.edu
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/hmodi5

Kenan Alghythee is an undergraduate student pursuing Bachelor of Science in Computer Science with a concentration in Software engineering at UIC. His research interest involves touchscreen application development and UX/UI design for mobile applications.
Project(s): TIDRC project
Contact: kalghy2@uic.edu 
GitHub: https://github.com/Kenan-Kamel

Adel Hrncic is an Undergraduate Student at UIC, majoring in Computer Science with a minor in Mathematics, expected to graduate in Fall 2025. He has been exploring UX/UI design and development. His goals are exploring robotics (a combination of mechanics and programming), AI research, and app development.
Project(s): Privacy & Security, Creativity Literature Review
Contact: ahrnc2@uic.edu 
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/adel-hrncic