CANDICE ODGERS
PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE PROFESSOR
UCI
WHY: Has studied adolescents and their mental health for the last 20 years. Last year, embarked on a study to determine the potential for artificial intelligence to improve learning among school children around the world.
NOTABLE: Co-leads a UCI program called Connecting the EdTech Research EcoSystem (CERES) along with Gillian Hayes, vice provost for graduate education and dean of the graduate division. In 2021, they won a five-year, $11M donation from the Jacobs Foundation, a Swiss-based nonprofit that invests in children to help them reach their potential.
IN THE NEWS: Is part of a team that is bringing together experts in computer science, technology and education to study the effect of technologies on children, such as whether it causes sleep deprivation. They are building a chatbot, conducting surveys and holding workshops
QUOTABLE: “In terms of AI, there is a lot of great work that’s happening, but it’s being done on fairly small populations. No one’s yet created a true national benchmark.”
