The University of Miami Frost Institute for Data Science & Computing (IDSC) welcomes Professor Wanli Xing this year as Core Faculty with a joint appointment in the School of Education and Human Development (SEHD).
Dr. Xing, a nationally recognized researcher working at the intersection of artificial intelligence, data science, and education, also serves as Director of the Advanced Computing for Education Lab. He joins UM from the University of Florida, where he held leadership roles supporting engineering education programs.
"The appeal of a joint appointment is both intellectual and practical, a place where advanced computing meets real-world classrooms and communities," Dr. Xing said. "It's an excellent fit because it lets me leverage expertise across both areas."
Dr. Xing's long-term goal: build education-specific large language models designed with schools and students in mind.
He notes that general-purpose tools like ChatGPT can function as "black boxes," become costly at scale, and raise privacy concerns in educational settings.
"For certain educational scenarios, especially with kids, you can't just rely on generic prompting and hope the models behave exactly as needed," he said. "You want to build models that are more controlled, more transparent, and potentially cheaper. Not everything needs a very large model. Some tasks can use smaller, lower-cost models."
Dr. Xing organizes his work into three interconnected areas:
First, he designs, develops, and tests AI tools that directly support learning. His flagship project, ALTER-Math (AI-augmented Learning by Teaching to Enhance and Renovate Math Learning), turns middle schoolers into math teachers. Rather than positioning AI as an all-knowing tutor, ALTER-Math introduces an AI agent as a peer who needs help from students. "This process helps reinforce and deepen their mathematical understanding," Dr. Xing said. The program has reached students across Florida, with discussions underway to bring it to Broward County.
Second, he uses large-scale educational data to analyze learning behaviors and processes. By applying learning analytics and data mining methods in online and in-person classes, Dr. Xing aims to generate insights that strengthen theory-driven learning science and contribute to the next wave of generative education.
Third, his STEM and computing workforce development work connects the first two. He builds tools for teaching advanced topics and designs programs introducing students to AI, data science, and microelectronics. "We've explored approaches like reverse engineering to come up with new ways students can learn about advanced technological areas," he said.
His research has drawn support from the NSF, Department of Education, Department of Defense, NIST, the Florida Department of Education, and private foundations.
IDSC's supercomputing resources and research infrastructure drew him in. "I'm looking forward to having my research group access resources here for AI development and related work," he said.
Location sealed the deal. "Miami is a major metropolitan area so there are more opportunities, not only for collaboration within the University but also for entrepreneurship, business partnerships, and school district collaborations."
Cross-disciplinary work excites him, particularly with the Miller School of Medicine. "I haven't broken into the medical world yet, but the medical school here is very strong, and I'm excited about opportunities to collaborate across disciplines. IDSC is a great platform for that."
Dr. Xing will teach courses on AI in education and leads an active research team including postdoctoral scholars, Ph.D. students, and an AI engineer. He brought some team members from Florida and plans to hire additional researchers. "Postdocs and Ph.D. graduates from my lab have gone on to tenure-track faculty roles at many different universities," he said.
Dr. Xing lives in Pembroke Pines with his wife and two sons, ages 5 and 7. While still adjusting to traffic, he enjoys city life. "Miami has culture, sports, museums, and lots of activities. Outside of work, my life mostly revolves around the kids."
When time permits, he heads to the beach, swims, or plays basketball. He jokingly notes a pattern: during his time at Texas Tech and the University of Florida, both basketball teams advanced to the national championship game. After arriving in Miami, he watched his new hometown team play in the championship football game. "They all made history while I was there!"
The community can meet Dr. Xing at a free public lecture on Thursday, April 30, from 4:00-6:00 PM at the Newman Alumni Center. His talk, "Teaching and Learning at the Human-Technology Frontier: The Power of AI and Data Science," will showcase how AI-powered tools and large-scale data analytics can enhance STEM education while equipping students for the future workforce.
