Vivek Ramachandran

Dr. Vivek Ramachandran is a Lecturer in the Integrated Engineering Programme (IEP) and a member of the Centre for Engineering Education (CEE) at University College London’s Faculty of Engineering Sciences. Their work focuses on embedding ethics, sustainability, and responsible innovation into engineering curricula, alongside research on the socio-emotional impacts of large language models on engineering students’ moral reasoning.

Education:

• PhD in Robotics, Controls, and Intelligent Systems (EPFL, 2021)
• MS in Mechanical Engineering (Carnegie Mellon University, 2016)
• Bachelor of Technology in Mechanical Engineering (National Institute of Technology Calicut, 2014)

Research Interests: Vivek’s interdisciplinary research bridges robotics (soft wearable haptics, telerobotics) with educational theory, emphasizing socially-conscious engineering practices. They actively explore how emerging technologies like LLMs reshape ethical decision-making in engineering education and advocate for equity in academia through caste and Indigenous rights advocacy.

Professional Experience:

• Postdoctoral Researcher, EPFL’s Teaching Support Centre (CAPE, 2022–2023)
• University Relations Manager, Hackahealth (2019–2022)

Labs & Initiatives: Works within the CEE to develop curricula integrating socio-technical systems thinking. Engages in social justice initiatives addressing caste-based discrimination and Indigenous sovereignty.