René F Kizilcec

Rene F. Kizilcec is an Associate Professor in the Bowers College of Computing and Information Science at Cornell University and the Founding Director of the Cornell Future of Learning Lab. His research focuses on the behavioral, psychological, and computational aspects of educational technology, aiming to enhance learning, improve educational equity, and foster academic and career success through technology. His work has been published widely in leading journals such as Science and PNAS, and he has received multiple ACM Best Paper Awards. His research has been funded by organizations including the National Science Foundation, the Gates Foundation, and Schmidt Futures. Kizilcec holds a Ph.D. in Communication and an M.S. in Statistics from Stanford University, as well as a B.A. in Philosophy and Economics from University College London.

• 2026–Present·Festival of Learning·Chair of Steering Committee
  • Responsible for the overall direction and organization of the 2026 Festival of Learning in Seoul, South Korea (joint conference of AIED, EDM, and L@S).
• 2022·ACM Learning at Scale·General Chair
  • Responsible for the overall organization and coordination of the conference.
• 2020·ACM Learning at Scale·Co-Program Chair
  • Designed and organized the conference agenda and proceedings.
• 2018–Present·Cornell University·Associate Professor in Information Science
  • Researches the application of educational technology in formal and informal learning environments, developing scalable interventions to close achievement gaps.
• 2017–2018·Arizona State University·Research Assistant Professor
  • Conducted research on educational technology.
• Before 2017·Stanford Graduate School of Education·Research Director
  • Managed research projects on educational psychology and technology applications.

• 2011–2016·Stanford University·Ph.D.
  • Communication, with a dissertation on the design of psychologically supportive online learning environments, awarded the Nathan Maccoby Outstanding Dissertation Award.
• 2010–2011·Stanford University·M.S.
  • Statistics, applied to research in education and psychology.
• 2006–2009·University College London·B.A.
  • Philosophy and Economics.