Advancing human-AI teaming by understanding and optimizing collaborative systems comprised of both human and computational elements to enhance performance and safety across manufacturing, healthcare, defense, and beyond.
The AI & Robotics for Collaborative Systems (ARCS) Lab advances the
science and engineering of human-AI teaming. Led by Founding Director
Dr. Beau G. Schelble in the Tickle College of Engineering at the
University of Tennessee, Knoxville, ARCS focuses on human-centered AI
and collaborative intelligent systems with emphasis on trust, shared
knowledge, intelligent information sharing, and situational awareness.
The lab’s research portfolio includes $722,190 in awards to
date—highlighted by an Army Research Laboratory project on preventing,
identifying, and mitigating compromised AI teammates through shared
situational awareness and accurate shared mental models.
ARCS integrates quantitative, qualitative, and computational methods to
design human-AI teams that improve the human condition across advanced
manufacturing, cybersecurity, emergency response, and
command-and-control. The lab publishes high-impact research across
leading HFES, ACM, and IEEE venues (e.g., Human Factors, Proceedings of
the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction, IEEE Transactions on
Human-Machine Systems). Lab members also contribute to the broader
community through editorial and committee service across the Human
Factors and HCI community.
At UT Knoxville, the ARCS Lab teaches and mentors across undergraduate
and graduate levels in human factors, sysetms engineering, and
industrial safety, cultivating a pipeline of scholars and practitioners.
ARCS team members are frequently invited to share evidence-based
guidance on ethical, trustworthy, high-performing human-AI teams,
including the National Academies’ Board on Human-Systems Integration,
West Point, Carnegie Mellon University, and UT Austin.
Modeling information-sharing, team cognition, and workload to create synergistic human–machine partnerships.
Designing transparent AI behaviors that accurately calibrate trust and contribute to AI acceptance.
Improving skill transference from training to through intelligent interventions and psychological fidelity.
Real-time adaptive interfaces that surface mission-critical cues and promote collective understanding.
Integrating collaborative robots and unmanned ground vehicles into manufacturing and emergency scenarios.
Developing rigorous experimental frameworks to test AI teammates’ effectiveness, safety, and resilience.
Professor & Lab Director
Dr. Beau
G. Schelble is currently an assistant professor of industrial and
systems engineering at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and
is the founding director of the AI and Robotics for Collaborative
Systems (ARCS) lab. Dr. Schelble received his Ph.D. in
Human-Centered Computing from Clemson University in December 2023.
For nearly a decade, Dr. Schelble has prioritized the exploration of
human factors in human-AI systems to enhance the ability of human-AI
collaborative systems to coordinate successfully in complex
environments by supporting responsible AI, situational awareness,
trust, and shared knowledge.
PhD Student
Hello hello! I’m Sarah
Mendoza and I’m from Clemson, South Carolina. Guided by my curiosity
for people and interpersonal behaviors, I graduated from Clemson
University with my bachelor’s degree in Psychology in May 2025. I
was brought into the world of human-AI teams during
my time there- researching everything from trust perceptions, to
autonomy levels, to teamwork versus taskwork. This, coupled with my
minor in Computer Science, has prompted me to further explore the
various dimensions of human-AI teams within the ARCS lab! When I’m not
working, I’m probably in the gym, checking out a new café, or
playing The Sims 3.
PhD Student
Hi, I’m Yayun Tian, and
I’m a Ph.D. student in Industrial and Systems Engineering at the
University of Tennessee, Knoxville. I graduated from Stony Brook
University in 2020 with a Bachelor’s degree in Applied Mathematics
and Statistics, a double major in Economics, and a minor in Computer
Science. In 2022, I earned my Master’s degree in Analytics from the
University of Southern California, and then spent three years
working as a software engineer in Los Angeles These experiences also
led me to think about how technology could play a more active and
supportive role in teamwork, not just as a tool, but as a trusted
and capable teammate.
See all publications on Google Scholar
We are always recruiting motivated graduate and undergraduate students interested in human-AI teaming, robotics, and human factors engineering. Prospective students should email Dr. Schelble with a CV and brief statement of research interests.
Who should apply?
Curious builders and
rigorous thinkers across ISE, CS, HCI, Psychology, and related
fields. Experience in conducting experiments, stats/ML, or robotics is
great, but motivation and craft matter most.
Funding varies by cycle; outstanding undergrads & grads are encouraged to reach out.
ARCS Lab – Industrial & Systems Engineering
515 John D. Tickle Engineering Building
851 Neyland Drive, Knoxville, TN 37996-2315
