Resume

I am a senior researcher at the Professorship for Learning Sciences and Higher Education at ETH Zürich, Switzerland, and an upcoming Assistant Professor in Learning Technologies and Distance Education at UniDistance, Switzerland. My interdisciplinary research bridges Human-Computer Interaction and Learning Sciences, and focuses on the design of inclusive technological solutions to improve mathematics education. Specifically, I am interested in how embodied, multi-modal, and concrete learning experiences can address both cognitive and emotional challenges faced by learners.

Experience

• (2026) Assistant Professor for Learning Technologies and Distance Education, CHLX, Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science, UniDistance, Switzerland
• (2024-2025) Senior researcher, Future Embodied Learning Technologies (FELT), ETH Zurich & Singapore-ETH Centre, Switzerland & Singapore
• (2021-2025) Product advisor, LearnPF, Singapore (online)
• (2023-2024) Group Leader, EduTech, Rectorate ETH Zurich, Switzerland
• (2017-2019) Software engineer, Game Technology Center, ETH Zurich, Switzerland
• (2015-2017) Human-Computer Interaction researcher, POTIOC, Inria Bordeaux Sud-Ouest, France

Education

• (2023) Doctorate of Science, Computer Science and Learning Sciences, ETH Zurich, Switzerland, 🏅 ETH Medal for outstanding dissertation
• (2015) Master of Science, Computer Science, EPFL, Switzerland
• (2015) Engineering degree, Computer Science and Mathematics, École polytechnique (l'X), France, 🏆 Recognition for outstanding investment

Supervision

= High-school project or equivalent, = Bachelor thesis or equivalent, = Master thesis, = Doctoral thesis

• Felix Herz - Saarland University (Collaboration with Prof. Tomohiro Nagashima) - Bachelor Thesis - Ongoing - Exploring multi-dimensional “concreteness” in math to better support student learning using digital technology
• Xiaoxuan Li - ETH Zurich & EPFL - Doctoral Thesis - Ongoing - Embodied and Multimodal Language Learning: Exploring Cognitive Engagement and Learning Dynamics
• Laura Bock - ETH Zurich & EPFL - Doctoral Thesis - Ongoing - Curiosity-enhanced embodied Productive Failure: Leveraging curiosity and sensorimotor resources to support students in solving challenging mathematical problems
• Maria-Ioanna Magkouta - ETH Zurich & EPFL - Doctoral Thesis - Ongoing - Semantic Avatars with Morphological Changes in Virtual Reality for Embodied Learning of Mathematics
• Fan Wang - ETH Zurich & EPFL - Doctoral Thesis - Ongoing - Embodied Approach to Making Difficulties Desirable to Students
• 🏆 Helena Klein - ZHdK - Master Thesis - June 2024 - Learning beyond sight: Making scientific visualizations more accessible to people with vision impairments - Nominated for the ZHdK Förderpreis Design (link) (video)
• Tianyi Liu - ETH Zurich (Collaboration with Prof. Mrinmaya Sachan and Prof. Gerd Kortemeyer) - Master Thesis - May 2024 - AI-Assisted Grading of Mathematical Answers Using GPT-4
• Romain Puech - École polytechnique (l'X) - Bachelor Thesis - March 2024 - StratLayer: A Modular System to Control the Dialog Strategy of Large Language Models Tutors
• Ruhi Pungaliya - Zurich International School - Internship - July 2023 - Evaluation of an innovative math learning application based on Productive Failure
• Martina Kessler - ETH Zurich - Master Thesis - February 2023 - Playful Experiences with Embodied Interaction in Augmented Reality
• Robin Hänni - ETH Zurich - Bachelor Thesis - December 2022 - Virtual Reality Cytology Lab for Risk Awareness
• Dominic Weibel - ETH Zurich - Master Thesis - September 2022 - Co-Designing a Computer Science Learning Game for Girls with Girls
• Bibin Muttappillil - ETH Zurich - Bachelor Thesis - March 2022 - Design and Evaluation of Embodied Interaction in Virtual Reality for Learning Derivatives
• Bodo Brägger - ETH Zurich - Master Thesis - February 2022 - Gender Equality in Computer Science: Video Games as Preparation for Future Learning
• Rudolf Varga - ETH Zurich - Master Thesis - September 2021 - Learning Graph Theory with Embodied Interaction in Virtual Reality
• Luigi Sansonetti - ETH Zurich - Master Thesis - May 2021 - Mathematics Input for Educational Applications in Virtual Reality
• Virginia Ramp - ETH Zurich - Master Thesis - October 2020 - Embodied Analysis in Virtual Reality
• Lea Reichardt - ETHZ Zurich - Bachelor Thesis - December 2019 - VR Game Prototype for Hand Tracking and Projection
• Jennifer Labun - AKAD COLLEGE - Matura Project - April 2018 - Entwicklung eines Games in der Erweiterten Realität
• Charles Coeurderoy and Violaine Sudret - ENSEIRB-MATMECA - Engineering Project - November 2015 - Application mobile intégrant un GPS narratif

Invited talks

• Talk @ Embodied Underground — Readings Fall 2024, Berkeley School of Education (link)
• Talk "Embodied Learning Technologies for Mathematics - An Interdisciplinary Exploration of the Design Space" @ Future of Education for Virtual and Augmented Reality (FEVAR), Arizona State University (ASU), April 2024. (link)
• Talk "Embodied Interaction in Virtual Reality for Learning Mathematics" @ Future Learning Initiative Colloquium (Advisory Board meeting), November 2023. (link)
• Talk "Teaching with AI" @ "AI for Education" workshop, AI+X summit 2023. (link)
• Talk for "Creative collaborations and innovation through Embodied Methodologies" @ IdeaSquare, CERN 2023. (link)
• 🏆 Selected Young Scholar, talk "Learning math with embodiment in VR" @ Jacobs Foundation Conference 2023. (link)
• Talk "Grounding Abstract Mathematics with Embodied Interaction" @ Saarland University, Germany, 2022.
• Panelist "Children & computing: increasing gender diversity" @ Interaction Design and Children (IDC) 2022. (link)
• Talk "Grasping Mathematics with Embodied Interaction in Virtual Reality: The Case of Derivatives" @ Future Learning Initiative Colloquium, 2022. (link)
• Panelist "IDC for Gender Balance: How can we engage more girls in informatics?" @ Interaction Design and Children (IDC) 2021. (link)
• Talk "Grasping Mathematics in Virtual Reality" @ Future Learning Initiative Colloquium, 2021. (link)
• Talk "Grounding abstract mathematics through interactive multi-representations" @ Future Learning Initiative Colloquium, 2020. (link)
• Talk "Reconnecting Mind & Body" @ Ludicious "Game Design and Learning Research - How to promote understanding" - July 2020 (link)

Service

• AC @ LBW CHI 2025 (link)
• PC Member @ International Symposium on Learning, Design and Technology (LDT), 23rd annual ACM Interaction Design and Children (IDC) Conference, 2024 (link)
• Member @ Communications Committee, Special Interest Group on Computer–Human Interaction (SIGCHI) 2023 (ongoing).
• Web chair @ CHI Play 2021. (link)
• Student Volunteer @ CHI Play - November 2020. (link)

Outreach and Volunteering

• Talk @ European Girls' Olympiad in Informatics (EGOI) 2021. (link)
• Talks @ Le Coding Club des Filles (EPFL) - May 2019, November 2020, June 2021. (link)
• Talk @ Girls Can Code - March 2021. (link)
• Talks @ Schnupperstudium (ETH) - September 2017, February 2018, September 2019, February 2020, September 2020, February 2022, September 2022. (link)
• Coach @ Django Girls Bordeaux and Django Girls Lausanne - November 2015, April 2016, June 2016, March 2017, November 2018. (link)

🏆 Grants, Awards and Recognitions

• Selected for the Global Young Scientist Summit (GYSS) in Singapore - 2026. (link)
• Jacobs Foundation "Young Scholar" grant, 120'000 CHF for the project "Achieving Adaptive Mathematics Knowledge through Embodied Causal Learning" together with Liz Lapidow - 2023. (project)
• ETH medal for "Outstanding dissertation" - 2023. (link)
• Outstanding Investment award from École polytechnique - 2013.

Press and Media

• Speaker in Leah's ProducTea podcast - Misconceptions and How to Crush Them like a Scientist, 2025. (link)
• Revolution im Klassenzimmer - Bildund, Tages Anzeiger, March 2023.
• EPFL-ETH Joint Doctoral Program in the Learning Sciences - Meet Julia Chatain, Center for Learning Sciences LEARN - EPFL, 2022. (link)
• "There's nothing intimidating about computer science", Simona Bochsler, 2022. (link)
• Le Coding Club des Filles, 2019. (2019) (2021)
• Interview for ETH Zürich, 2019. (link)
• Interview for We Shape Tech, 2019. (link)
• The Future of Digital - Augmented Reality, Talk and Panel with We Shape Tech, 2018. (link)