Conor Jones

Conor Jones

Undergraduate Researcher — AI in Education & HCI

I'm studying Statistics & Analytics and Computer Science at UNC Chapel Hill. My research sits at the intersection of AI and education—building tools that help instructors understand how students learn, and studying how humans interact with AI-generated feedback.

conjon@unc.edu GitHub LinkedIn CV

About

I transferred to UNC Chapel Hill from Rowan-Cabarrus Community College in 2023. Since then I've worked in three research labs spanning education technology and cognitive neuroscience, and I've been a UTA for four different courses. Outside of school I spent three and a half years running a robotics program at the Boys & Girls Club of Cabarrus County.

I'm interested in how we can use data to give instructors better insight into student learning, and how students interact with AI tools in educational settings. I care about doing this work ethically—my current projects involve IRB-approved protocols and FERPA-compliant data handling.

Research Interests

  • Human-Computer Interaction
  • AI in Education
  • Learning Analytics
  • Human-AI Interaction
  • Educational Technology

Education

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill B.S. Statistics and Analytics B.S. Computer Science Minor in Information Systems Expected May 2027
Rowan-Cabarrus Community College A.A. Liberal Arts May 2023

Skills

Research Methods

User Studies Survey Design Experimental Design IRB Protocols

Data & Analysis

Python FastAPI Pandas R SQL FSL MATLAB

Development

Git/GitHub Linux NextJS TypeScript Java

Research Experience

AI & Education / Human–AI Interaction Researcher

UNC Chapel Hill

Aug 2025 – Present
  • Deployed a pilot study with 45+ students that received an 8/10 average “usefulness” rating with zero generation errors
  • Released an open-source PyPI package for automated Gradescope data collection, with multithreading and FERPA-compliant encrypted storage
  • Building analytics dashboards (scroll depth, lag time, clickstream) for deployment in COMP 110 (700+ students) and COMP 301 (300+ students)
  • Preparing manuscripts on learning analytics and a “Comment Proxy” code-commenting study
PythonFastAPINextJSSQLIRB Protocol

Research Assistant

Carolina Institute for Neurocognition & Imaging

Oct 2024 – Aug 2025
  • Processed 20GB+ of fMRI data to model Default Mode and Dorsal Attention Networks using Python, FSL, and MATLAB
  • Designed a low-cost, open-source eye-tracking system using a GoPro and IR light
  • Presented the eye-tracking project to Boston University’s Neurostimulation Lab
  • Built reproducible preprocessing workflows that were adopted across multiple lab projects
PythonFSLMATLABfMRI

Research Assistant

Carolina Institute for Neurostimulation

Aug – Oct 2024
  • Developed behavioral tracking tools that log accuracy and reaction time
  • Deployed these tools in the Belgar Lab for integration with network-level analyses

UTA Experience

Undergraduate Teaching Assistant

UNC Chapel Hill, Department of Computer Science

Spring 2024 – Present

Lead UTA — COMP 301 (Foundations of Programming)

  • Coordinated the materials team, redesigned assignments, and piloted face-to-face check-ins to address AI-driven plagiarism

UTA — COMP 110, COMP 283, POLI 281

  • Held office hours, helped students debug code, administered tests, assisted with in-class assignments, and ran review sessions

Hack110

  • Developed and led a beginner hackathon; authored tutorials on Git/GitHub, version control, collaborative coding, ML, and PyGame used by 100+ students

Projects & Writing

Coding Projects →

Personal side projects—Google Calendar importer, web scraper, Battleship AI, and more.

Gradescope PyPI Package →

Open-source tool for automated Gradescope data collection with multithreading and encrypted storage.

Papers & Presentations →

Academic writing and presentation decks from coursework and career competitions.

Coursework →

Overview of relevant courses in CS, statistics, math, and political science.

Leadership & Service

Member — UNC Student Technology Council

Chapel Hill, NC

Aug 2024 – Present

Advise campus IT and academic units on student technology use and policy, including recommendations on AI in classrooms.

Resident Advisor

Carolina Housing, Chapel Hill, NC

Jan 2024 – May 2025

Mentored 30+ residents with a focus on academic support and community building.

Program Assistant — Boys & Girls Club of Cabarrus County

Concord, NC

Jul 2021 – Feb 2025

Founded and ran a robotics/coding program, leading weekly workshops for 20+ students.

Contact

I'm also happy to chat about research collaborations or anything!

conjon@unc.edu GitHub LinkedIn