معرفی
Piet Desmet is a full professor at KU Leuven's Faculty of Arts, serving as vice rector of KU Leuven, Kulak Kortrijk Campus, and academic director of the Office of the Academic Director, Bruges Campus. He leads multiple research divisions including itec and its Language and Technology subdivision, and is a member of Leuven.AI - KU Leuven Institute for Artificial Intelligence. As general coordinator of itec and academic director of the imec smart education research program, he oversees significant research initiatives spanning multiple campuses.
Desmet's research focuses on the intersection of language learning and technology, with particular expertise in Second Language Acquisition and Technology, Computer-assisted Language Learning (including AI-based chatbots), Learning Analytics, and Language Technology and Corpus Linguistics. His work explores intelligent feedback systems, linguistic complexity prediction, adaptive testing, and natural language processing applications for educational contexts. His research spans theoretical linguistic frameworks to practical educational implementations, with a strong emphasis on empirical validation of technological interventions in language learning.
Analysis of Desmet's recent publications reveals a strong trajectory toward integrating artificial intelligence with language education, particularly through conversational AI and learning analytics. His work increasingly focuses on chatbot-assisted language learning, adaptive assessment systems powered by large language models, and the application of computational linguistics to educational problems. The publications demonstrate a consistent methodological approach combining theoretical linguistics with empirical educational research, often employing eye-tracking, ERP studies, and learning analytics to evaluate effectiveness.
Desmet actively supervises numerous PhD students and leads multiple major research projects including Smart Education at Schools (2025-2026), Enhancing EFL Learners' Speaking Ability through Chatbot-Assisted Dynamic Assessment Powered by LLMs (2024-2028), and the Flanders Ed Tech Hub (2022-2025). His research portfolio demonstrates significant funding success across multiple national and international initiatives focused on educational technology and language learning.
As head of itec (an imec research team at KU Leuven), Desmet leads a substantial research ecosystem focused on smart education technologies. The itec team collaborates extensively with Leuven.AI and the KU Leuven Educational Research Institute (LIVO), creating a multidisciplinary environment that bridges computational linguistics, educational psychology, and artificial intelligence. Recent initiatives include the 'AI in Education' online training course and the
