ENDEAVR is led by passionate educators. They have a strong record of excellent research and teaching based on interdisciplinary collaboration. They are committed to active learning and strive to train the next generation of lifelong learners and forward-thinking visionaries, who are capable of working with diverse stakeholders, performing sophisticated analyses, and making decisions under complex, uncertain situations.

Dr. Wei Li (PI) is Associate Professor of Urban Planning. Prior to ENDEAVR, he has led several project-based active-learning projects at Texas A&M University. He is a grant recipient from the National Science Foundation (NSF) – Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program, which provides research training for undergraduate students from the underrepresented minority groups. Dr. Li is an expert of sustainable transportation and urban economics; he has produced impactful research work funded by NSF and NIH. His work has been published in various journals, such as Journal of Planning Education and Research, Landscape and Urban Planning, Urban Studies, American Journal of Public Health, Environment and Planning, and Transportation Research Record.

Professor Anatol Bologan (Co-PI) is Instructional Assistant Professor of Visualization. He is an expert in interactive design, visual communication, and interdisciplinary art. Professor Bologan extends his art practice through collaborations with scientific and engineering labs to source imagery and data for his projects. His primary areas of visual research are traditional and digital forms of art, communication media, and design. Throughout his professional career, he has worked on large-scale international projects for clients such as Intel, HP, Microsoft, Sony, Universal, Disney, and others. He brings his professional and academic experience to the class where he engages students with interdisciplinary, real-world projects focused on Data Visualization, UI/UX, and Interactive Design, where art and design are integral components of the research.

Dr. Theodora Chaspari is an Assistant Professor at the Computer Science & Engineering Department at Texas A&M University. Her research interests lie in the areas of affective computing, human-computer interaction, signal processing, data science, and machine learning. Her work focuses on the computational study of human behavior through the use of bio-behavioral signals (e.g. speech, physiology, facial expressions) and machine learning techniques for empowering well-being, health, education, and defense applications. Dr. Chaspari’s work is supported by federal and private funding sources (IARPA, EiF, TAMU DoR).

Dr. Chanam Lee (Co-PI) is Professor of Landscape Architecture. She is an expert in “active living” research and design which deal with environmental and policy approaches toward promoting physical activities and public health. Dr. Lee has led many community-based and interdisciplinary research and studio/design projects that focus on promoting health and mobility, including those funded by NIH and RWJF. Ensuring sustainable and meaningful impacts of her work on local communities is a common goal across her projects. She is experienced in developing instruments/guides to benefit communities and to facilitate community/policy actions (e.g., policy brief, audit instrument, infographics, and design guides).

Dr. Kiju Lee is an Associate Professor of Engineering Technology and Industrial Distribution and Mechanical Engineering. She focuses on robotics and sensor networked systems for a broad range of applications including defense, health care, and education. Her research lab, named Adaptive Robotics and Technology (ART), focuses on theories and technologies for adaptive robots and human-robot/technology interfaces. Her on-going projects include a-SWAT (Adaptable Human-Swarm Teaming via Visuo-Sensorimotor Interfaced Collaboration), e-Cube (for play-based cognitive assessment for older adults), and a new research initiative on 3D-printable origami-inspired robots.

Dr. Sivakumar Rathinam is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Texas A & M. He has over 15 years of experience in autonomous vehicles and is the head of the Autonomous Systems Laboratory in Mechanical Engineering. His research interests include motion planning and control of autonomous vehicles, collaborative decision making, combinatorial optimization, vision-based control, and air traffic control. Currently, his lab explores multi-agent path planning and optimization algorithms, sensor fusion methods for challenging weather conditions, and routing strategies for vehicles in GPS-denied environments.

Dr. Xinyue Ye is a Professor at the Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning at Texas A&M University, where he directs the Urban Data Science Lab. With the career backgrounds in planning, geography, and computing, his research focuses on urban informatics and spatial data science.  He was the recipient of annual research awards from both computing (New Jersey Institute of Technology) and geography (Kent State University). His work has been funded by National Science Foundation, National Institute of Justice, Department of Commerce, and Department of Energy.