2025-2026 K&L Gates Presidential Fellows

Akhila Yerukola

Akhila Yerukola is a Ph.D. student in the Language Technologies Institute at Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Computer Science, advised by Dr Maarten Sap, Assistant Professor at the Language Technologies Institute. Her research, "Cross-Cultural Safety & Understanding in Computational Systems," focuses on building frameworks that measure and improve cultural competence, constructing benchmarks grounded in local knowledge, and designing methods to train culturally sensitive models. This work aims to provide concrete tools to improve cultural competence in AI systems, advancing accountability and governance.

Akhila is particularly interested in pragmatics and sociocultural capabilities, by better understanding user intentions, interpreting ambiguity, and safely navigating cultural nuances. Before coming to CMU, she was a Senior Research Engineer at Samsung Research America (SRA). She holds a master’s degree in Computer Science from Stanford University and a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from NIT Trichy, India.

Cheyu Lin

Cheyu Lin is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at
Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), advised by Dr Katherine Flanigan, assistant professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Cheyu's current research, "Privacy-preserving sensing and AI systems",
focuses on leveraging sensing technologies to extract, model, and analyze human psychological and cognitive states through human bodily movements in a privacy-preserving manner. This is an interdisciplinary work that involves knowledge from civil engineering, computer vision, social science, psychology, and etc. His research aims to bring human needs and experience front and center across various fields, including healthcare, education, urban planning, among many others, while prioritizing the protection of sensitive user information.

Cheyu holds a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from National Central University in Taiwan and a Master’s degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering from CMU. Prior to attending CMU, he worked as a research assistant at the Research Center for Hazard Mitigation and Prevention in Taiwan, where they conducted structural health monitoring on civil infrastructure.

Sofia Rodriguez-Chaves

Sofia Rodriguez-Chaves is a PhD candidate in Organizational Behavior and Theory at theTepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon University. Her research, "Moral Character, Moral Awareness, and the Use of Artificial Intelligence at Work", investigates the ethical considerations employees have about their work, factors that influence these considerations, and the consequences of such considerations on workers’ behaviors. Her studies leverage theory and methods from the fields of management, business ethics, and psychology to provide insight into the drivers of responsible use of new technology. Findings from these studies deepen our understanding of how moral character and moral awareness affect decisions about when human involvement and oversight might be needed for responsible AI adoption.

Sofia is advised by Dr Taya Cohen, Professor of Organizational Behavior and Business Ethics, and is a member of the Collaboration and Conflict Research Lab at Carnegie Mellon University. Their research on moral character, moral awareness, and the use of AI at work has been funded by the Center for Intelligent Business at the Tepper School of Business. Sofia has presented her research at prestigious international conferences, including the Society for Business Ethics, where she was recognized in 2025 as an Emerging Scholar in Business Ethics. Before starting her doctoral studies, Sofia earned an MBA from INCAE Business School and a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Costa Rica.