lAB mEMBERS

Dr. Kyla McMullen, an associate professor in Computer & Information Science & Engineering at the University of Florida, has made notable contributions to human-centered computing, particularly in the realm of 3D audio technology. Her work aims to improve perception, navigation, and situational awareness using immersive audio cues. Her projects have been primarily supported by the National Science Foundation. She has received the NSF Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award, funding work to address the challenges of realistic 3D sound rendering, rapid change detection, and the effects of competing sounds in noisy environments. McMullen’s dedication extends beyond research; she actively engages in efforts to make the field of computing more inclusive. Through her involvement with initiatives, such as hosting “Modern Figures Podcast”, she aims to inspire a diverse new generation in STEM. McMullen’s journey from being the first underrepresented woman to earn a Ph.D. in Computer Science and Engineering from the University of Michigan to her impactful role in academia underscores her commitment to both technological advancement and community outreach.

Jason Lu

Chenshen (Jason) Lu received his M.S. from the Mechanical Engineering Department of University of Florida. Before he entered UF he worked for Domino Printing and Science in China. His research interests are HRTF simulation and auditory interface.

Email: chenshen.lu@ufl.edu

Patriel Stapleton

My work focuses on creating simulated environments to prioritize learning through the constructivist approach. I also utilize narrative learning to support players through discovery as the engage with the environment. The experiences the player participates in are intended to inform them of the impact of coastal preservation on all aspects of life.

Terek Arce

Terek’s research interests lie in developing testing frameworks for head-related transfer functions (HRTFs), creating 3D-audio plugins for virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) applications, and developing cross-platform standardized tools for other researchers to use in VR/AR. He’s also dabbled in animation, bioinformatics, computer security and medicine. His hobbies include playing piano, swimmimng, surfing and painting. You can find more info at his personal and class sites, as well as some of his work at GitHub.
Email: tra04@ufl.edu

Ziqi Fan

I’m building a career across data acquisition, data modeling, algorithm design, and high-performance computing, driven by a desire to create well-defined, high-impact technical solutions. I work from hardware-level system design to mathematical data interpretation and formal, theory-driven algorithm construction. My interests in HPC include latency and cost analysis, distributed system design with strong hardware awareness, formal verification, and numerical-method–based implementation. I’ve worked on large dense PDE solvers for the Helmholtz equation and throughput-critical image-processing algorithms, and I’m motivated by designing safe, scalable systems and producing reliable implementations.

Armisha L. Roberts

Armisha received her Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics with a minor in Computer Science from Howard University where she graduated Summa Cum Laude. She is a Meta PhD Fellowship Awardee, Gates Millennium Scholar, Buick National Achiever recipient, GEM Fellow, and a University of Florida Graduate Student Fellow. Sha has industry-level research experience, having interned with Sandia National Laboratories, Booz Allen Hamilton, IBM, and BP. Her research interests include 3D audio, artificial intelligence, learning technologies, math education, and Human-Centered Computing (HCC). You can find more info at her personal site.