Opportunities for Undergraduates
There are many ways for undergraduates to get involved working with Dr. MacNeil and the Temple HCI Lab. Some students join through research, building technical and scholarly skills through HCI, AI, design, and education projects. Others get involved through teaching fellow and TA roles, or through leadership opportunities connected to OwlHacks and the broader Temple computing community such as ACM, ACM-W, and TUDev. Together, these experiences help students build confidence, develop mentorship and leadership skills, and prepare for graduate school, industry, and other long-term opportunities.
Research in the Temple HCI Lab
The Temple HCI Lab is a hub for undergraduate research at Temple University, bringing together students interested in computer science, psychology, design, education, and community-based research. Students join from technical and non-technical backgrounds to study how people learn, collaborate, and make decisions with technology.
For students exploring CS research at Temple, psychology research at Temple, or interdisciplinary work that connects computing with human behavior, the lab provides opportunities to contribute to real research projects while developing skills in research, design, communication, and leadership. We think of the lab not just as a research group, but as a learning community where students grow into independent thinkers and collaborators.
Our Research Focus
Our research lab focuses on methods and techniques to democratize expert processes like design and data science. We are especially interested in research that sits at the intersection of human-computer interaction, artificial intelligence, computing education, accessibility, and community-centered design.
Learning sciences. We draw on theories and methods from the learning sciences to help non-experts build the skills they need to participate effectively in research, design, and technology-mediated work.
Participatory and community-centered design. We use participatory design, design thinking, and asset-based community development to understand how large groups can coordinate ideas, make decisions, and design with rather than for communities.
AI, data, and sensemaking tools. We draw from NLP, knowledge graphs, and information visualization to synthesize complex community input, support interpretation, and spark productive discussion.
Research Positions Available
Given this ambitious and transdisciplinary focus, Dr. MacNeil is open to any research idea that relates broadly to his expertise and research goals. He strongly welcome students from a wide range of disciplines that include Computer Science, Design, Psychology, Education, Business, Public Policy, and Cognitive Science. Above all, students in the lab should be excited to work in cross-functional teams where they lead by recognizing and amplifying the talents of those around them.
Students with a computing focus should have interest in one or more of the following topics: information visualization, web development, knowledge graphs, natural language processing, data science, artificial intelligence, or machine learning.
Students with a design, psychology, or education focus should have interest in some of the following: experiment design, qualitative data analysis, user research, preparing design workshops, teaching, mentorship, design facilitation, or UI design.
Students with an entrepreneurial mind should be excited about getting scrappy and making things happen. They should have interest in: project management, relationship building, community engagement, and marketing.
For many students in the Temple HCI lab, research serves as a catalyst toward new careers and opportunities. Many students have gone on to pursue graduate school and obtain nationally competitive scholarships and fellowships. Students interested in undergraduate research at Temple or research pathways into PhD programs often use the lab as a place to build both technical depth and scholarly independence.
Student Outcomes
Temple HCI Lab undergraduates have gone on to PhD programs at Georgia Tech, the University of Maryland, UC San Diego, MIT, and the University of Michigan, and alumni have also gone on to roles at Microsoft, Amazon, and Google. To learn more about how students grow through research and mentorship in the lab, visit the Temple HCI Lab mentorship page.
Temple Research Programs and Funding Pathways
Many students in the Temple HCI Lab are supported through Temple University’s undergraduate research programs. The CST Research Scholars Program (RSP) often funds student research in the Temple HCI Lab, and lab members frequently present their work at the RSP poster session and related Temple undergraduate research showcases.
Students may also be eligible for programs such as Diamond Scholars, depending on their interests and stage of study. If you are searching for the Research Scholars Program, RSP posters, or broader undergraduate research opportunities at Temple, our lab is one place where those opportunities often connect to HCI, AI, design, education, and community-centered research.
Fellowships and Awards
Undergraduate researchers in the Temple HCI Lab have earned nationally competitive awards and fellowships, including Barry Goldwater Scholarships won by Kush Patel and Andrew Tran, NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF GRFP) awards earned by two alumni, and the Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowship later received by Irene Hou. To see more examples of student outcomes, visit the Temple HCI Lab mentorship page.
Community and Leadership Beyond the Lab
Beyond research, the Temple HCI Lab is closely connected to the broader computing community at Temple University. Many lab members are actively involved in student organizations such as ACM, ACM-W, and TUDev, and frequently take on leadership roles within these groups. For students interested in CS communities at Temple, student organizations, or leadership development, the lab provides a natural bridge between research, community, and impact.
OwlHacks Hackathon
Research is only one part of how students grow in the Temple HCI Lab. Dr. MacNeil and members of the lab organize the OwlHacks Hackathon each year, creating a complementary space where students can explore ideas, practice leadership, build technical confidence, and contribute to the broader Temple computing community.
For many students, OwlHacks complements undergraduate research by providing a more public, collaborative, and community-centered experience alongside work in the lab. If you want to learn more about how Dr. MacNeil approaches community-building beyond research, you can also visit the community page.
Teaching Fellow and TA Positions Available
If you are excited about transforming the educational experience to go beyond the classroom and cultivate collaborative and impactful learning environments, please apply by emailing me directly at stephen.macneil@temple.edu with the words Teaching Fellow somewhere in the subject line.
I am also hiring a teaching assistant for my Information Visualization course, CIS 3755: Information Visualization, in Temple University’s Computer Science program. This is a current TA opportunity for students interested in HCI, AI, analytics, computing education, and visual communication. The course gives students experience with data, design, critique, and communication in a studio-style learning environment.
Teaching Recognition
Two recent teaching assistants from my courses received Temple CST's Outstanding Teaching Assistant Awards: Jovan Andjelkovic (2025) and Louise Dupont (2026).