Emad Ali

Engineering education · Responsible AI

Studying how people learn, design, and decide with AI.

I’m Emad Ali, a Ph.D. researcher in Engineering Education at Virginia Tech. My work connects generative AI, engineering ethics, and research methods to help people use emerging technologies more thoughtfully.

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Blacksburg, Virginia Virginia Tech
Emad Ali smiling in a university hallway
Ph.D. ResearcherEngineer · Educator · Researcher
Generative AIEngineering EducationResponsible AIMixed Methods

Research focus

Connecting technical systems with human judgment.

I study the places where AI capabilities meet educational practice, ethical responsibility, and the realities of engineering work.

01

Responsible AI in practice

How engineers translate ethical principles into design decisions, requirements, safeguards, and professional practice.

02

Generative AI in education

How students use generative AI, how they judge its usefulness and ethicality, and how course policies shape those choices.

03

LLMs in qualitative research

Transparent, reproducible, and human-accountable ways to use language models in interpretive research workflows.

Emad Ali presenting research at an academic conferencePresenting research on AI policy and education

Current work

From principles to practice in responsible AI.

My current research examines how AI professionals understand and develop translational ethical competency—the ability to turn broad ethical principles into concrete choices throughout AI design and development.

  • Conducting interviews with AI professionals
  • Developing scenario-based elicitation methods
  • Analyzing qualitative data using grounded theory

Selected publications

Research shared with engineering and education communities.

View Google Scholar
2026

WIP: A Delphi Study on Identifying Competencies for Entrepreneurial Opportunity Recognition and Social Impact Measurement of Engineers

A. Ashraf, E. Ali, K. A. Okegbenro, and D. Kim

ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
2026

Exploring How AI Engineers Perceive and Develop Translational Ethical Competency: RFE-Funded Project Updates

E. Ali, Q. Zhu, D. Kim, and H. Eldardiry

ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
2025

Exploring Translational Ethical Competency (TEC) in AI Design: Conceptual Analysis and Methodological Reflections from a Pilot Study

E. Ali, J. Weichert, Y. S. Sun, H. Eldardiry, Q. Zhu, and D. Kim

IEEE International Symposium on Ethics in Engineering, Science, and Technology
2025

Navigating the AI Ethics Frontier: A Cross-National Comparison of AI Policy Documents for Developing Responsible AI Workforce

E. Ali, B. K. McOwen, A. Ashraf, and D. Kim

ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
2025

Exploring the Intersection Between Lifelong Learning and Workforce Development in Engineering

A. Ashraf, B. K. McOwen, E. Ali, and D. Kim

ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
2025

Considering Personal Mastery as a Framework for Developing Students’ Affinity for Lifelong Learning

B. K. McOwen, A. Ashraf, E. Ali, and D. Kim

ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Experience

Teaching, research, and engineering.

2026 – Present

Graduate Teaching Assistant

Virginia Tech

Foundations of Engineering

2024 – Present

Graduate Research Assistant

Virginia Tech

Responsible AI, generative AI in education, LLM-supported qualitative research, and AI policy analysis

2023 – 2024

Lecturer

Superior University

Taught embedded systems, artificial intelligence, engineering entrepreneurship, web development, and aerospace engineering

2021 – 2024

Teaching Assistant

Information Technology University

Supported graduate and undergraduate courses in embedded systems, digital systems, information security, and operating systems

Education

An engineer studying how engineering changes.

2024 – Present

Ph.D. in Engineering Education

Virginia Tech

2020 – 2023

M.S. in Electrical Engineering

Information Technology University

2016 – 2020

B.E. in Avionics

National University of Sciences & Technology

Let’s connect

Interested in AI, education, or responsible engineering?

Emailemadali@vt.eduConnectLinkedInPublicationsGoogle Scholar