LAB-IREEN (LABoratory for Innovative and REsponsible ENgineering workforce) is a research group at Virginia Tech, led by Dr. Dayoung Kim. The primary mission of the LAB-IREEN is to conduct transformative research that guides the development of an innovative and responsible engineering workforce. The group's work spans a diverse array of topics aligned with its mission, including technology/social entrepreneurship, engineering ethics/social responsibility, ethical and educational implications of emerging technologies like AI, and lifelong learning and career pathways of engineering practitioners.
Current Members
Bailey McOwen
Bailey McOwen is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Engineering Education at Virginia Tech. She has a background in physics and industrial engineering. Her research interests are in engineering ethics, workforce development, and lifelong learning/continued education for engineering practitioners.
Emad Ali
Emad Ali is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Engineering Education at Virginia Tech. His research focuses on the integration of artificial intelligence in engineering education with particular emphasis on its ethical implications. He holds a master’s degree in Electrical Engineering with specialization in Embedded Systems, from the Information Technology University (ITU Lahore), as well as a Bachelor’s degree in Avionics Engineering from the National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Islamabad. He has worked as TA of multiple undergraduate and graduate courses during his Masters in ITU and as a Lecturer in the Superior University in Lahore. He aims to contribute to the advancement of educational practices in engineering by addressing both the opportunities and challenges presented by the emerging technologies.
Arsalan Ashraf
Arsalan Ashraf is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Engineering Education at Virginia Tech. His research interests include AI ethics, ethics and social responsibility, and lifelong learning. He has broad experience in academia and industry, which motivates him to do research on these vibrant areas. He is a first-generation student from a small village in Punjab, Pakistan. He completed his BS in Aviation Management from Lahore in 2017, and then worked in the aviation industry. After gaining experience, he changed his career path and went to academia as a lecturer at The University of Faisalabad in 2022. He joined Virginia Tech in the fall of 2024.