MBZUAI Team Awarded Google Academic Research Grant for Advancements in Accessible STEM Education

A research team from Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) has received a prestigious Google Academic Research Award for their groundbreaking work in developing intelligent tutoring systems to make STEM education more accessible and inclusive. The team, comprising Dr. Ekaterina Kochmar, assistant professor of natural language processing (NLP), and Dr. Kaushal Kumar Maurya, a postdoctoral researcher specializing in large language models (LLMs), was recognized for their project titled “2σ-ITS: A Pedagogical Intelligent Tutoring System Grounded in Learning Science Principles.”

The MBZUAI researchers were the sole recipients from the Middle East in the award's inaugural edition, chosen under the category “making education equitable, accessible, and effective using AI.” Their project focuses on creating AI-driven tutoring systems that support personalized learning across subjects, from STEM to language education. These systems are designed to assist educators, offering adaptive, personalized support to students, especially those who may have limited access to mainstream educational resources.

Dr. Kochmar expressed gratitude for the recognition, emphasizing the project’s goal to empower students worldwide through NLP-driven technology. “This award enables us to develop advanced AI solutions that support both teachers and students in achieving educational success,” she said. Dr. Maurya noted that the system’s role is to enhance learning experiences, likening it to the transformative impact of calculators and computers on education.

The Google Academic Research Awards cover six categories and aim to foster impactful research, supporting projects that address real-world challenges across disciplines.