The Lab
AI & Robotics for Collaborative Systems
The AI & Robotics for Collaborative Systems (ARCS) Lab studies how humans and intelligent systems become more than the sum of their parts. We combine qualitative, quantitative, and computational methods to engineer human-AI teams that are trusted, ethical, and effective in the environments that matter most: defense, healthcare, manufacturing, and emergency response.
Visit the ARCS Lab websiteFunded Projects
What we're building right now.
Preventing, Identifying, and Mitigating the Impact of Compromised AI Teammates
What happens when an AI teammate is compromised (hacked, spoofed, or degraded) and the team doesn't know? This project develops methods grounded in shared situation awareness and mental model accuracy to detect and recover from compromised AI teammates before they compromise the mission.
Understanding the Acceptance of AI Teammates in High-Risk Contexts
Internal seed funding supporting undergraduate researchers studying when and why operators accept AI teammates in high-risk work.
Developing Personalized Adaptive AI Teammates
Internal funding supporting research on AI teammates that adapt their behavior to the individual humans they work with.
The Team
The humans behind the human-AI research.
Leadership
Beau G. Schelble, PhD
Founding Director
Assistant Professor of Industrial & Systems Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville. PhD in Human-Centered Computing, Clemson University.
Doctoral Researchers
Sarah Mendoza
PhD Student
Industrial & Systems Engineering. Joined 2024.
Yayun Tian
PhD Student
Industrial & Systems Engineering. Joined 2024.
Naveena Nagaraju
PhD Student
Industrial & Systems Engineering. Joined 2026.
DEng Researchers
Victoria Lalena
DEng Student
Doctor of Engineering, Industrial & Systems Engineering. Joined 2025.
Cody Gaspar
DEng Student
Doctor of Engineering, Industrial & Systems Engineering. Joined 2024.
Undergraduate Researchers
Elizabeth Hughes
Undergraduate Researcher
B.S. Industrial & Systems Engineering. Joined 2024.
Gracyn Filer
Undergraduate Researcher
B.S. Industrial & Systems Engineering. Joined 2024. Co-author on HFES 2025 paper on AI information-sharing and trust.
Brooke Henley
Undergraduate Researcher
B.S. Industrial & Systems Engineering. Joined 2026.
Owen Fair
Undergraduate Researcher
B.S. Supply Chain Management. Joined 2026.
Aiden Conklin
Undergraduate Researcher
B.S. Industrial & Systems Engineering. Joined 2026.
Lab Alumni
Carson Bogue
Lab Alumnus
B.S. Industrial & Systems Engineering, 2024–2026. Now a graduate student in Industrial & Systems Engineering.
Join the Lab
The hardest problems in human-AI teaming need more minds.
The ARCS Lab is always looking for curious, rigorous students who want to shape how humans and AI work together. We welcome inquiries from prospective PhD students (Industrial & Systems Engineering), DEng students, and UTK undergraduates interested in research experience. Email bschelbl@utk.edu with your CV and a short note about what questions excite you.