Leesha V. Maliakal Shah

Leesha V. Maliakal Shah is an Assistant Professor of Computer Science at Northeastern Illinois University in the College of Business and Technology. She directs the moliri lab, focusing on human-centered learning ecosystems that integrate Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Learning Sciences (LS), and Computer-Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW). Her work emphasizes self-directed learning, metacognition, and scalable mentorship solutions.

• Ph.D. in Technology and Social Behavior from Northwestern University (2016-2021)
• Co-founder of the Agile Research Studios model for undergraduate research training
• Recipient of multiple research grants and awards, including the Microsoft PhD Fellowship nomination

Research Interests: Designing socio-technical systems to optimize limited mentorship resources, with a focus on iterative problem-solving, metacognitive reflection, and community-driven learning models. Her work bridges design argument critique, continual support frameworks, and agile research orchestration.

Scientific Contributions:

• Developed the Polaris scaffolding tool for research planning (CHI 2022)
• Created the STASH system for distributed helpseeking (CHI submissions)
• Advanced the MindYoga framework for metacognitive reflection (3 UG grants)

Teaching: Courses in Human-Computer Interaction (CS 342) and Web Application Development (CS 412), emphasizing soft skills like empathy and agile methodologies. She also teaches Programming II (CS 207) and Independent Study (CS 314/414).