AI Exchange @ UVA Substack Podcast

Topic: The institutions that balance AI innovation with clear guardrails will shape what comes next.

Kelly Doney, UVA’s Vice President and Chief Information Officer, sits at the center of the university’s AI transformation—balancing innovation with privacy, experimentation with fiscal discipline, and research acceleration with institutional responsibility. In a moment defined by rapid breakthroughs and even faster hype cycles, she’s focused on structured pilots, scalable infrastructure, and building the guardrails that allow innovation to thrive safely. For Kelly, AI isn’t about chasing trends—it’s about earning a strategic seat at the table and preparing UVA for long-term impact.

Topic: AI is transforming teaching, learning, and student support, requiring educators and institutions to adapt thoughtfully as the technology evolves.

In this edition, Peter Youngs and Catherine P. Bradshaw share how artificial intelligence is reshaping teaching, teacher development, and student well-being. Their conversation explores AI-powered coaching for educators, the use of machine learning in behavioral and mental health interventions, and how universities can responsibly adapt curriculum, research, and policy to support learners in a rapidly changing digital landscape.

Topic: AI is reshaping education and careers, making responsible use and critical thinking essential for students and universities

In this edition, we sit down with a diverse group of UVA students from various schools and fields to explore how AI is shaping their world. From classroom learning and research to personal projects and everyday life, they share firsthand experiences and insights into the growing role of AI in education and beyond.Pierce, a student in the McIntire School of Commerce, is currently exploring the world of AI/ML and combining it with business. He is the HackMIT Winner. Reeya, a Jefferson and Echols Scholar at UVA, is the current Curator of TEDxUVA and is the producer of HOOS in STEM. Jason, a computer engineering student, is currently exploring AI safety through his undergraduate research and as the Lead of AI Safety Initiative in ML@UVA.

Topic: When AI is embraced strategically, it becomes a catalyst for deeper understanding, better feedback, and more equitable learning

About Marc: Marc Santugini, an Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Virginia, uses innovative teaching methods and technologies—from virtual reality to AI-driven feedback—to make economic theory engaging, accessible, and hands-on for students. By experimenting with tools like Lumiere, individualized TA sessions, and AI agents, he is reimagining large-class instruction to promote deeper critical thinking and highly personalized learning at scale.

Topic: How AI and digital technologies impact youth, healthcare, and online communities.

About Tom and Steven: ⁠Steven Johnson⁠, a professor at the McIntire School of Commerce, studies how digital technologies and online communities influence people—especially youth—and how algorithms impact information and interaction. ⁠Tom Hartvigsen⁠, an assistant professor at the School of Data Science, focuses on making AI systems in healthcare and other critical domains trustworthy, fair, and context-aware. Together, their work bridges business, data science, and ethics to improve how humans and AI interact.

Topic: Trustworthy AI depends on ensuring security, privacy, fairness, and explainability.

About David & Chirag: David Evans, Professor of Computer Science and Olsen Bicentennial Professor of Engineering at UVA, and Chirag Agarwal, Assistant Professor at UVA’s School of Data Science, explore how we can design intelligent systems that are not only powerful — but transparent, ethical, and secure. Dr. Agarwal leads the Aikyam Lab, where his research focuses on building trustworthy, explainable, and fair AI systems. Dr. Evans brings decades of expertise in computer security, privacy, and trustworthy computing.

Topic: AI is turning campus IT into a catalyst for innovation, empowering educators and students to create smarter, more connected learning experiences.

About Mark: Mark Outten is leading efforts as Director of IT at UVA’s Batten School to harness AI for everything from streamlining operations to enhancing teaching and research, showing how technology can unlock new possibilities across higher education.

Topic: How AI is reshaping accounting education and preparing students with judgment, critical thinking, and adaptability with Jill Mitchell & Roger Martin.

About Jill & Roger: Jill Mitchell and Roger Martin are award-winning educators at UVA’s McIntire School of Commerce who are leading the way in exploring how AI can transform accounting education. With decades of teaching experience and national recognition for their contributions, they are reimagining both the profession and the classroom—using AI to enhance learning, develop students’ critical thinking and judgment, and prepare graduates for success in an evolving, AI-driven business world.

Topic: Decoding how LLMs think, how humans interact with them, and what makes AI trustworthy with Reza Mousavi

About Reza: Reza Mousavi’s research explores both the inner workings of large language models (LLMs) and how humans interact with them. He studies how to make AI more reliable and controllable, compares strengths across models like GPT and LLaMA, and investigates the differences between human and AI cognition in processing language.