{"id":23,"date":"2015-11-03T16:06:31","date_gmt":"2015-11-03T21:06:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/test.eng.ufl.edu\/faculty-site\/?page_id=23"},"modified":"2026-04-21T14:57:49","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T19:57:49","slug":"people","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/faculty.eng.ufl.edu\/soundpad-lab\/people\/","title":{"rendered":"People"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

lAB mEMBERS<\/h1>
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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\u2019s 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 \u201cModern Figures Podcast\u201d, she aims to inspire a diverse new generation in STEM. McMullen\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Kyla McMullen<\/strong><\/em>
Associate Professor, HCC Program Director<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n

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Current Ph.D. Students<\/strong>:<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n
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Jason Lu<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n

Email: chenshen.lu@ufl.edu<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Patriel Stapleton<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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PhD Graduates<\/strong>:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Terek\"<\/figure>
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Terek Arce<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/a> and class<\/a> sites, as well as some of his work at GitHub<\/a>.
Email: tra04@ufl.edu<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n


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Ziqi Fan<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m 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\u2013based implementation. I\u2019ve worked on large dense PDE solvers for the Helmholtz equation and throughput-critical image-processing algorithms, and I\u2019m motivated by designing safe, scalable systems and producing reliable implementations.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Armisha\"<\/figure>
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Armisha L. Roberts<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armisha received her Bachelor\u2019s 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<\/a> site.


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Current Master’s and Undergraduate Researchers<\/strong>:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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  • Natania Philippe<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Shobhit Singh<\/li>\n
  • Georgina Vitola\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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    Former Master’s Student Researchers<\/strong>:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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    • Bhaveek Desai<\/li>\n
    • Pravin Gaikwad<\/li>\n
    • Aroushi Sharma<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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      Former Undergraduate Student Researchers:<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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      • Aranique Brown<\/li>\n
      • Stanley Celestin<\/li>\n
      • Benjamin Chen<\/li>\n
      • Guilain Despointes<\/li>\n
      • Ann-Kareen Gedeus<\/span><\/li>\n
      • John Glass<\/span><\/li>\n
      • Chris Griffin<\/li>\n
      • Nicholas Lesbirel<\/li>\n
      • Sonali Mane<\/li>\n
      • Rachana Podoralla<\/li>\n
      • Rosa Saldana<\/li>\n
      • Eduardo Santos<\/li>\n
      • Tiffany Scott<\/li>\n
      • Sofia Sirocchi<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n
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