Jacob Puthipiroj

PhD Candidate, Computer Science & Learning Sciences — Northwestern University

TIILT Lab, advised by Marcelo Worsley. Publishes as Jacob Puthipiroj and Pipob Puthipiroj.

I study how people learn — modeling learning in quizbowl as graph traversal, and designing structured hackathons and playful computing experiences that make AI education work at scale.

Email GitHub Google Scholar CV
Northwestern University
PhD, Computer Science & Learning Sciences · MA, Computer Science 2023 — 2028 (expected)
Minerva University
B.S. Computer Science (Data Science & Statistics) 2016 — 2020

Research

Dissertation

Learning as Graph Traversal

LAK26 Doctoral Consortium

Modeling how quizbowl players navigate knowledge: learning trajectories as walks over a concept graph, with implications for curriculum generation and learning analytics.

AI Education

Structured Hackathons

AIED 2025

A pedagogical model for AI education — if one hack week is pedagogically effective, why not ten? Studying intensive, repeated hackathon formats as a serious learning design.

CS Education

Sports & Computing

SIGCSE TS 2025

Designing computing experiences for 5th graders that move — blending athletics and computation so young learners encounter CS through embodied, playful activity.

Honors

SuperAI Engineer

AI Association of Thailand

Grand Prize winner (THB 500,000), selected from roughly 8,000 applicants — followed by 15+ hackathon awards across computer vision, fraud detection, and recommendation systems.

Publications & Talks

Peer-Reviewed Conference Papers

  • Puthipiroj, J., Supnithi, T., & Ketui, N. (2025). Structured Hackathons: A Pedagogical Model for AI Education. Proceedings of the 26th International Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Education (AIED 2025). Springer. DOI
  • Puthipiroj, J. & Quiterio, A. (2025). Designing for 5th Grader Sports and Computing Experiences. Proceedings of the 56th ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education (SIGCSE TS 2025). DOI
  • Puthipiroj, J. (2026). If One Hack Week is Pedagogically Effective, Why Not Ten? Proceedings of the ISLS Annual Meeting — CSCL 2026, Irvine, CA.

Journal Articles

  • Nguyen, T., Netto, J. F., Wilkins, P., Broker, E. E., Vargas, C. D., Sealfon, P., Puthipiroj, P., et al. (2021). Insights into Students’ Experiences and Perceptions of Remote Learning Methods: From the COVID-19 Pandemic to Best Practice for the Future. Frontiers in Education, 6, 647986. DOI

Doctoral Consortia

  • Puthipiroj, J. (2026). Learning in Quizbowl as Graph Traversal. Companion Proceedings of the 16th International Conference on Learning Analytics & Knowledge (LAK26) — Doctoral Consortium.

Presentations & Talks

  • Learning as Graph Traversal CoDEx 2026 Research Talk — Norris University Center, Northwestern University Apr 2026
  • Life is a Pure Flame Arts Gallery & Performance Track — ISLS Annual Meeting 2026, Irvine, CA Jun 2026
  • Generating the Quizbowl Curriculum Symposium on AI, Education, and the Learning Sciences — Evanston, IL May 2025

Service & Experience

Academic Service

  • Program Committee — AIED 2026 — Main Track & Late Breaking Results
  • Program Committee — CSCL 2025, 2026 — ISLS Annual Meeting
  • Reviewer — CHI 2026 — Papers Track
  • Reviewer — SIGCSE Technical Symposium 2025, 2026
  • Judge — Chicago Area Undergraduate Research Symposium 2025

Experience

  • Looloo Technology — Machine Learning Engineer — Bangkok, Thailand 2021 — 2023
  • AI Association of Thailand — Lecturer & Teaching Assistant — Bangkok, Thailand 2020 — Present