Russ Clark is the director of sustainability and a senior research scientist in Georgia Tech's Institute for People and Technology, who engages hundreds of students each semester in mobile development, networking, and the Internet of Things. He is the CEAR Hub lead principal investigator. He emphasizes innovation, entrepreneurship, and industry involvement in student projects and application development. He was formerly the co-director of the Georgia Tech Research Network Operations Center (GT-RNOC), which supported research efforts across campus, and principal leader of the Convergence Innovation Competition, which pairs students and industry sponsors on novel projects. He has played a leadership role in the NSF GENI project, leading both the GT campus trials efforts as well as the GENI@SoX regional deployment and the Software-Defined Exchange (SDX). Russ is active in the startup community, including roles with the National Science Foundation Innovation Corps program and as a principle with Empire Technologies during its acquisition by Concord Communications.

Aaron Gabryluk is a research scientist with the Institute for People and Technology, with research interests in AR/VR, human computer interaction (HCI), educational technology, and accessibility, and gaming. He holds a B.S. in Computer Science from Roanoke College, as well as an M.S. In Human Computer Interaction from Georgia Tech. His previous research has explored the effects of haptic feedback while in virtual reality, as well as novel interactions for American Sign Language (ASL) games. Other notable work includes his development on PopSignAI, an interactive ASL game which teaches users how to sign while playing a bubble shooter game.

Simon Zhang is a research scientist in the Institute for People and Technology. Zhang graduated with a degree in Industrial Design at Georgia Tech in 2024. As a frontend engineer and UX designer, Zhang currently supports AI-CARING (AI Institute for Collaborative Assistance and Responsive Interaction for Networked Groups) and GT Research Connect, a career platform to connect research faculty with funding. They focus on building interfaces gounded in people's needs and crafting robust modern web applications. Outside of work, their interests lie in color systems, typography, and Asian American studies.

Andrew Zhao is a research scientist with the Institute for People and Technology (IPaT) at Georgia Tech. He earned both his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Computer Science from Georgia Tech in 2023, specializing in Social Computing. His work focuses on how social media functions as a medium for information transfer and social connection, particularly in the contexts of mental health and elections. Currently, he supports two projects as a full-stack developer: the Collecting and Analyzing Networked Data for Open Research (CANDOR) Portal with the SocWeb Lab, and the AI Institute for Collaborative Assistance and Responsive Interaction for Networked Groups (AI-CARING). Across these initiatives, he has built end-to-end social media data pipelines, deployed and maintained web applications, authored detailed technical reports, fine-tuned large language models (LLMs), and helped manage computing infrastructure.

David Peeler is a research scientist and a recent graduate from Georgia Tech having completed a bachelor's degree in computer science in May 2022. His research interests lie in machine learning, mobile (Android) development, and STEM education. Currently, he is supporting the TechSAge D2 fall detection project detecting and reporting user falls from wheelchairs. He is also supporting STEM @ GTRI's rural education project giving 1000+ hours of direct instruction and curriculum development of different topics of computer science to high schoolers.

Noah Posner is a research scientist with the Institute for People and Technology and lab manager of the Interactive Product Design Lab (IPDL) in the School of Industrial Design. His focus is on creating interactive experiences that leverage physical interaction. He holds degrees in Industrial Design, Mechanical Engineering and an M.S. in Human Computer Interaction. His research involves creating rich physical interactions, designing and fabricating interactive devices using CAD and Rapid prototyping technologies, and developing educational tools for STEAM leaning that focus on utilizing hands on learning with intentionally designed artifacts. He also teaches courses in Physical Prototyping for Human Computer Interaction and Industrial Design. 

Kala Jordan, research scientist at the Institute for People and Technology (IPaT), brings a wealth of academic achievement and professional expertise to her role. She holds a bachelor’s degree in biology with a specialized focus on cellular, molecular, and developmental biology, coupled with a master of science in health informatics, Kala's educational background underscores her multidisciplinary approach to research. Her professional endeavors are underscored by a diverse spectrum of research interests, spanning from healthcare system innovation, STEM education, and data analysis. At present, Kala is immersed in supporting the AI Institute for Collaborative Assistance and Responsive Interaction for Networked Groups (AI-CARING) project. In this capacity, she spearheads studies aimed at bolstering the development of personalized collaborative AI systems tailored to enhance the quality of life for older adults. In addition to her pivotal role within the AI-CARING project, Kala actively contributes to STEM @ GTRI’s rural education initiative. Here, she assumes a multifaceted role, providing direct instruction and contributing to curriculum development in various facets of computer science for high school students. Through, her multifaceted research efforts and educational outreach, Kala Jordan exemplifies a consummate professional dedicated to leveraging cutting-edge technology and empirical insights to address pressing societal challenges and empower individuals through education and innovation.

Jill Gambill is the Executive Director and Senior Research Associate for the CEAR Hub in the Institute of People and Technology (IPaT) at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Gambill previously spent over 12 years at the University of Georgia, where she most recently served as Coastal Resilience Specialist and Public Service Associate for Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant. In this role, she worked with vulnerable coastal communities to plan for and respond to flooding from storm surge and sea level rise.

In addition to her faculty appointment with Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant, she is affiliate faculty with the Institute for Resilient Infrastructure Systems, Institute for Women’s Studies and Department of Marine Sciences at the University of Georgia and Department of Environmental Health at Emory University.

Gambill is co-chair of the Georgia Coastal Hazards Community of Practice, a member of the Practitioner Consultation Board for the NASA Sea Level Change Science Team and part of the leadership team for the Georgia Climate Project, a statewide initiative aimed at strengthening research and communication on the impacts and solutions of climate change in Georgia. Gambill holds a B.A. in Philosophy from Cardiff University in Wales, an M.A. in Peace and Conflict Studies from the University of Sydney in Australia and is currently completing her Ph.D. in Geography and Integrative Conservation at the University of Georgia. She is a nationally accredited Certified Floodplain Manager.

Tim began working as the GVU Center’s research technologist in 2018. In conjunction with IPaT, he developed, designed, and launched the Craft Lab in 2022 and is serving as the director of the Prototyping, Craft, and Usability labs. Tim provides strategic oversight of the tools and technologies present in these “innovation labs” and seeks opportunities to grow and shape the spaces to match the ever-changing research landscape. These spaces are an essential component of the research within IPaT and the broader Georgia Tech community. Tim views the spaces not only as a set of technologies like 3D printers, laser cutters, embroidery machines, etc., but also as a catalyst to bring together community members and explore new frontiers of research.

Tim has also spent much of his time at Georgia Tech working in research computing, including his roles as a Research Technologist in College of Computing’s Technology Services Organization (TSO) and as a part of IPaT’s Research Operations team. He served as interim Associate Director for Research in TSO in 2023. His focus in these areas is in DevOps and business automation with aims to match IT capabilities and capacities with the needs of end-users.

Tim holds a master of science in human-computer interaction and a graduate certificate in Management of Technology from Georgia Tech. His thesis project focused on the introductory experience to academic makerspaces and digital tools that support new users. In this work, Tim prototyped a new digital training aid for makerspaces to allow more seamless introduction for new users while satisfying training requirements.