Dr Keith W. Maycock
Director, Artificial Intelligence and Adaptive Systems Research Group
Assistant Professor, Maynooth University
Dr Keith W. Maycock is an Assistant Professor in Computer Science at Maynooth University and Director of the Artificial Intelligence and Adaptive Systems (AIAS) Research Group. With over twenty years of experience in higher education, applied artificial intelligence and research commercialisation, his work focuses on developing intelligent systems that transform education, healthcare and workforce development.
His research spans artificial intelligence, adaptive learning systems, learning analytics and human-centred intelligent systems, with a particular emphasis on translating research into real-world impact. Dr Maycock is Principal Investigator of several funded research and innovation projects, including STUDI, an AI-powered teaching, learning and assessment platform, MetaNode, an Enterprise Ireland-funded intelligent corporate learning platform, and EngageSLT, an AI-enabled digital health platform supporting speech and language therapy services.
Dr Maycock has successfully secured competitive national funding, led multidisciplinary research teams, and founded multiple research spin-outs that have progressed from research prototypes to deployed platforms. His current research explores authentic assessment in the age of generative AI, adaptive educational technologies, intelligent knowledge systems and the application of AI to address societal challenges.
Through AIAS, he is committed to bringing together researchers, educators, industry and policymakers to develop trustworthy artificial intelligence that improves learning, research and innovation while delivering measurable real-world impact.
Research interests
- Artificial Intelligence
- Adaptive Learning Systems
- Technology-Enhanced Learning
- Human-Centred Intelligent Systems
- Employability and Skills Intelligence
- Innovation and Research Translation
Active projects
- MetaNode — Principal Investigator
- STUDI — Principal Investigator
Dr Aidan Mooney
Head of Computer Science, Maynooth University
Associate Professor Computer Science
Worked on and led numerous research projects on CS Education. His early interest was in the areas of Digital Watermarking and Problem Based Learning (PBL) where he focused on using this technique to enhance the experience of first year CS students. He subsequently looked in more detail at retention issues relating to first year students culminating in him completing an Action Research Project as part of a Postgraduate Diploma in Teaching and Learning. He sees technology as playing a vital role in Education and has researched and developed a number of tools which were incorporated into Moodle to enhance student participation and learning (e.g. plug-in for Moodle to aid programming students get instant feedback on submitted programs). Research interests
- Artificial Intelligence
- Adaptive Learning Systems
- Technology-Enhanced Learning
- Computational Thinking
- Eye-tracking technologies
- Access Learning
- Inclusive Technologies
Active projects
- STUDI — Principal Investigator
Yinglian Deng
Research Operations Lead, AI & Adaptive Systems Research Group
Head of Product, STUDI. Maynooth University
Yinglian Deng is Head of Product at STUDI, where she leads the product strategy and development of the platform, working at the intersection of educational research, artificial intelligence and user centred design. Yinglian has played a central role in translating the research vision behind the platform into practical tools for educators and learners. She works closely with the research, engineering and education teams to define product requirements, shape the user experience and guide the development of new capabilities across learning, assessment, collaboration and AI-supported education. Her role is particularly focused on ensuring that STUDI’s technology remains grounded in the needs of students and educators as the platform progresses from research and pilot deployments to adoption across schools, universities and international education environments
Active projects
- STUDI — Head of Product
Dr Majella Dempsey
Head of Education Department, Maynooth University
Associate Professor Education
Director of Educational Partnerships and School Engagement at STUDI
Dr Majella Dempsey is Head of the Department of Education at Maynooth University, where she lectures and researches in curriculum studies, teaching, learning, assessment, educational leadership and research methods. Her work focuses on curriculum development, assessment literacy, and preparing education systems for future pedagogical challenges.
Dr Dempsey has led numerous national and international education initiatives, including Erasmus+ and FP7 projects, chaired curriculum development groups, and serves in leadership roles within the European Educational Research Association and the Educational Studies Association of Ireland.
Within STUDI, Dr Dempsey leads the school’s deployment programme, working closely with school leaders and teachers to support the implementation, evaluation and scaling of AI-enabled teaching, learning and assessment across second-level education.
Research interests
- Curriculum Studies
- Teaching, Learning and Assessment
- Educational Leadership
- Assessment Literacy
- AI in Education
- Curriculum Innovation
Active projects
- STUDI — Director of Educational Partnerships and School Engagement
Shudong Wang
Chief Technology Officer, STUDI. Maynooth University
Shudong Wang is Chief Technology Officer of STUDI, where he leads the technical development and engineering of the platform and its AI enabled learning, assessment and analytics technologies. An experienced software developer, innovator and entrepreneur, Shudong is responsible for translating STUDI’s research and educational concepts into scalable, production ready technology. His work spans platform architecture, artificial intelligence integration, cloud infrastructure and the development of the core systems supporting STUDI’s learning and assessment environments. Working closely with the research and product teams, he leads the continued technical evolution of STUDI as it moves from research-led development to large-scale deployment across schools, universities and international education environments.
Active projects
- STUDI — Chief Technology Officer, STUDI. Maynooth University
Xuezhu Chen
Research Engineer at STUDI | ARDU Fully Funded PhD Scholar, Maynooth University
Xuezhu Chen is a Research Engineer at STUDI and an ARDU Fully Funded PhD Scholar in the Department of Computer Science at Maynooth University. She holds an MSc in Computer Science with Distinction from Newcastle University and a BEng in Architecture from Weifang University, bringing an interdisciplinary background spanning computer science, software engineering, data analysis and design. Her earlier research focused on quantum computing and hybrid quantum classical optimisation, with work on the Quantum Approximate Optimisation Algorithm (QAOA) subsequently published at MLCIPR 2025. She is now contributing to a growing programme of research around STUDI focused on AI enabled assessment, academic discovery, learner progression and educational AI.
Research interests
Xuezhu’s doctoral research investigates how AI driven conversational and process based approaches to learning can support the development and evaluation of domain competence in GenAI enabled education. Working with the STUDI platform, her research moves beyond traditional assessment of final outputs to examine the learning process itself, using longitudinal learner activity, research behaviours and human AI interactions to understand authentic engagement, knowledge construction and progression. Grounded in Laurillard’s Conversational Framework, the research explores pedagogically governed conversational AI, process-based assessment, learning analytics and adaptive feedback, with the aim of developing models that support personalised intervention and provide a more reliable understanding of learning and domain competence in environments where generative AI is increasingly embedded in students’ work.
Active projects
- STUDI — Research Engineer
Dr Paul Dowling
Associate Dean for Internationalisation, Faculty of Science & Engineering, Maynooth University
Director of Global Partnerships and Virtual Mobility, STUDI
Dr Paul Dowling is Associate Dean for Internationalisation in the Faculty of Science and Engineering at Maynooth University. He has over two decades of academic experience spanning teaching, research, postgraduate supervision and international collaboration across University College Dublin, Dublin City University and Maynooth University.
His research career has focused on biomedical sciences, cancer biology and biomarker discovery, securing competitive research funding as both Principal Investigator and Co-Principal Investigator while supervising numerous PhD and clinical research students. Alongside his research achievements, Dr Dowling has played a leading role in developing international academic partnerships and promoting global engagement within higher education.
Within STUDI, Dr Dowling leads the development of international partnerships and virtual mobility initiatives, working with universities worldwide to establish collaborative teaching, learning and assessment opportunities that enable students to participate in authentic international learning experiences.
Research interests
- Internationalisation in Higher Education
- Virtual Mobility
- Global Learning
- Research Collaboration
- Biomedical Sciences
- Innovation in Higher Education
Active projects
- STUDI — Director of Global Partnerships and Virtual Mobility
Dr Michael Goldrick
Associate Professor in The School of Business and Social Sciences, National College of Ireland
Dr Mike Goldrick is an experienced educator with 20 years’ lecturing, researching and consultancy experience in learning technologies. Dr Goldrick’s primary area of research is in the application of learning theory to enhance learning technologies and learning frameworks.
Active projects
- MetaNode — Principal Investigator
Donald Clarke
Founder, CEO, Entrepreneur, Professor
As well as being an entrepreneur, professor with 38 years’ experience in Learning technologies, CEO, investor, Board member, Mr Clarke was also involved in the design of CogBooks and Stream. He was also a founding member of Epic Group plc and the Founder and CEO of Wildfire Learning.
He is a frequent global speaker, blogger, advisor and researcher on AI in learning and is also a Visiting Professor at the University of Derby.
Active projects
- MetaNode — Commercial Lead
Mark Ritchie
Research Software Engineer, MetaNode. Maynooth University
Mark Ritchie is a Research Software Engineer at Maynooth University working on the MetaNode research project, where he contributes to the design, development and deployment of intelligent workflow and automation technologies. He has a multidisciplinary engineering background, combining Computer Science and Software Engineering with a First Class Honours degree in Mechanical Engineering and several years of professional experience in industrial automation and engineering. Mark has extensive practical experience across full stack software development, cloud and serverless architectures, infrastructure-as-code and AI technologies, working with platforms and technologies including AWS, Azure, Terraform, .NET, Node.js and Vue.js. His previous work includes developing and deploying cloud based services, migrating applications to cloud infrastructure and creating an AI powered speech-to-speech system using AWS technologies. His interests span software engineering, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, automation and the development of reliable software systems that bridge research and real world application.
Active projects
- MetaNode — Research Software Engineer, MetaNode. Maynooth University
Mingde Zhou
Research Software Engineer, MetaNode. Maynooth University
Mingde Zhou is a Research Software Engineer at Maynooth University working on the MetaNode research project, contributing to the development of intelligent workflow, automation and AI enabled software technologies. He has a multidisciplinary background spanning software development and finance, with postgraduate study in Computer Science and Advanced Software Development and professional experience in full stack development. His technical expertise includes modern web development, API design and testing, database systems, cloud technologies and containerised deployment using technologies such as Docker, Kubernetes and AWS. Mingde has developed full stack and AI enabled applications, including an AI powered API testing platform, multilingual content management systems and an AI system using a distilled BERT model for automated detection and analysis of online hate speech. His interests centre on full stack software engineering, scalable database systems, cloud deployment, artificial intelligence and the decomposition of complex business processes into efficient software workflows.
Active projects
- MetaNode — Research Software Engineer, MetaNode. Maynooth University
Emre Kavak
Research Software Engineer, MetaNode. National College of Ireland
Emre Kavak, a recent graduate with a First Class Honors in Computer Science from the National College of Ireland, is an innovative full stack developer. Emre’s passion for technology is evidenced by his triumph in the NCI Ideathon and active participation in AI Hackathons, reflecting his innovative approach and commitment to technological problem-solving.
Active projects
- MetaNode — Research Software Engineer, MetaNode. National College of Ireland
Paul Maycock
Software Test Engineer, MetaNode, Maynooth University
Paul Maycock is a Software Test Engineer working on the MetaNode research project, supporting the testing and quality assurance of the platform as it progresses through development and deployment. He has practical experience across software testing, web technologies, data management and technical project support, including previous alpha testing of software applications and work with HTML, CSS and PHP. Paul has a strong interest in technology, cybersecurity and problem solving and competed in the Microsoft Zero Days national cybersecurity competition, where his team placed 12th out of more than 350 teams. His work with MetaNode focuses on systematically testing platform functionality, identifying issues and supporting the development team in delivering a reliable and effective software platform.
Active projects
- MetaNode — Software Test Engineer
Dr Yvonne Lynch
Associate Professor, Clin Speech & Language Studies, Trinity College Dublin
Dr Yvonne Lynch is an Assistant Professor in Speech and Language Pathology at TCD. She is a CORU registered Speech and Language Therapist with 17 years clinical experience in providing specialist Speech and Language Therapy services. Dr Lynch will provide complementary expertise in speech and language therapy service delivery and will act as Co-lead for the project.
Active projects
- EngageSLT — Principal Investigator
Join the Group
The group welcomes expressions of interest from prospective postgraduate students, academic collaborators, and industry partners interested in artificial intelligence, adaptive systems, learning technologies, and applied innovation.