Abstract: Recent breakthroughs in artificial intelligence promise to transform education research. This talk introduces “synthetic education research populations,” an approach to research and data collection that uses generative AI to replicate the characteristics of real participants. By functioning as training partners, participant simulators, and viable replacements for live cohorts, these virtual populations enable novel investigation without traditional recruitment hurdles. Drawing on insights from two ongoing research projects, the presentation situates this method within the broader landscape of emerging AI-driven research tools. Ultimately, the talk highlights how advanced data generation and analysis could be shaping the future of education research, offering fresh avenues for ethical, scalable, and rigorous inquiry.

Bio: Dr. Johannes Strobel is Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies at the University of Texas at El Paso, Executive Director for the Hopper-Dean Center of Excellence for K-12 Computer Science Education and Professor STEM Education. He joined UTEP from SRI International where he was Director, Policy Research, Center for Innovation Strategy and Policy after a career in academia working at Purdue University, Texas A&M and University of Missouri in Engineering/Computer Science Education and Learning Technologies. Dr. Strobel’s work focuses on K-16 STEM competencies, empathy, humility and curiosity in technical fields and AI tools for education research. He published more than 190 papers in proceedings, journals and book chapters (many co-authored with graduate and undergraduate students), co-edited five books, lead successful STEM/CS/Engineering education research grants with over US$42 million. He is Senior Member IEEE, award winning educator and researcher and the lead author of a nationally and internationally available set of learning modules for grades preK - 5th grade.