Sabine Graf

Dr. Sabine Graf is a Full Professor at the School of Computing and Information Systems, Athabasca University. She holds a PhD in Computing and Information Systems from Vienna University of Technology (2007) and has been a faculty member since 2009. Her research focuses on user adaptive systems, learning/academic analytics, personalization, and game-based learning, with over $2.3M in external funding and 130+ peer-reviewed publications (cited 8,200+ times). She leads the OMEGA+ educational game project and the User Adaptive Systems (UAS) research cluster.

Education:

• PhD in Computing and Information Systems, Vienna University of Technology, 2007
• MSc in Computing and Information Systems, University of Vienna, 2003

Research Interests: Dr. Graf specializes in making learning systems more intelligent through adaptive interfaces, AI-driven recommendations, and data analytics. Her work bridges educational technology, artificial intelligence, and collaborative learning. Recent projects include developing OMEGA+, analyzing student behavior in online courses, and enhancing adaptive learning systems with context-aware features.

Grants & Funding:

• NSERC Discovery Grant ($205,000), 2020
• CFI John R. Evans Leaders Fund ($164,573), 2020
• AU IDEA Lab Grant ($5,000), 2021
• Multiple Mitacs Globalink Internships, NSERC awards, and AU-funded projects.

Advising & Team: Dr. Graf has mentored over 30 students, including PhD, MSc, and postdoctoral fellows. Notable advisees include Moustafa Mahmoud (NSERC Scholar) and Mohammad Belghis-Zadeh (3MT Competition winner). The research team collaborates globally, with members from Brazil, Taiwan, Spain, and beyond.

Labs & Initiatives: The Academic Analytics Tool (AAT) project and the OMEGA+ game platform are central to her work. The UAS cluster connects researchers worldwide to advance adaptive systems research.