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Mission

Our Mission

The VRAI Lab at Purdue University is dedicated to empowering professors, particularly in the Department of Philosophy and the College of Liberal Arts, by providing cutting-edge curricular and pedagogical resources to help prepare students meet the demands present by the evolving interface of AI and the Liberal Arts. We offer access to state-of-the-art hardware for research in machine learning, artificial intelligence, virtual reality, augmented reality, and experimental philosophy, prioritizing the needs of our faculty members. As a dynamic hub and maker-space, we support our BA in AI students, fostering a vibrant community of scholars and innovators. Our inclusive approach serves as a model for VRAI Labs across Purdue and other institutions, championing the integration of liberal arts and AI education.

Who Are We?

The lab has members who work across several roles listed below, all of whom are integral to the functioning of the lab and its mission. 

  • Javier Gomez-Lavin, the PI 

  • Samantha Ooley, Operational Director  

  • Postdocs: We hope to have one Postdoc involved in the lab at a given time 

  • Graduate Students: We hope to have one to two PhD level students involved as Lab RAs or TAs at a given time 

  • Undergraduate Students: We expect to have between three and five undergraduate RAs or TAs involved in the lab at a given time. Most will start as sophomores or juniors, with a few starting in their freshman year. We do not typically take on students in their senior year. 

  • Staff : As the lab grows in size we expect to take on individuals as lab manager who manage the day to day operations of the lab.

Our Core Values

We are committed to supporting our research partners, instructors, and students excel in the creation of innovative pedagogical material and interdisciplinary research at the intersection of Philosophy and Artificial Intelligence. We recognize that this work involves risks and that it benefits from sticking to the following heuristics and values: 

  • We aim to adopt an ethics of care towards our lab members, research collaborators, and students.  

  • We aim to support each other as we push the limits of discovery and recognize that this is best served by adhering to the highest standards of research integrity and a commitment to open science principles. 

  • We recognize that our work is best amplified by a commitment to open and supportive collaboration, both as a team in the lab and with our research and pedagogy partners across the university and extramurally. 

  • We recognize that our lab is an interdisciplinary endeavor and we encourage open, ecumenical and rigorous philosophical thinking—even when it engenders disagreement. 

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