Conduct Original AI Research with a Named Principal Investigator

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    STEAM in AI
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    AI Research Track

    AI Ethics Research Intensive

    Your student graduates as First Author on original AI ethics research — under Chief AI Architect & PI Shilpi Agarwal, with weekly 1:1 guidance from a dedicated Research Advisor.

    1:1 rolling enrollment. Your student works directly with Chief AI Architect & PI Shilpi Agarwal (Former Stanford AI Adjunct, ISEF Grand Award Judge) and a matched Research Advisor to produce publication-worthy or competition-ready research. No prior research experience required.

    Book Your Research Fit Assessment

    Complimentary 45-minute consultation

    Format

    1:1 · Rolling Enrollment

    Chief AI Architect & PI

    Shilpi Agarwal · Former Stanford AI Adjunct

    Duration

    3, 6, or 12 Months

    Outcome

    Original Research Paper + Competition Entry

    Shilpi Agarwal, Chief AI Architect and Principal Investigator

    Chief AI Architect & Principal Investigator

    Shilpi Agarwal

    Former Stanford AI Adjunct Faculty · ISEF Grand Award Judge

    Shilpi is the Chief AI Architect and Principal Investigator on every Research Track paper. She doesn't just review the final draft — she shapes the research question, designs the methodology, guides the ethics framework, and co-authors every submission. This is the same rigor she brought to the Stanford classroom, where she taught AI for Business to working Silicon Valley professionals.

    Her name on your student's paper signals to admissions officers, journal reviewers, and competition judges that the research was conducted under genuine academic supervision — not as a self-directed side project or a templated exercise.

    • Former Stanford AI Adjunct Faculty
    • Regeneron ISEF Grand Award Judge (Robotics & Intelligent Machines)
    • NeurIPS Presenter
    • Mentor, MIT $100K Entrepreneurship Competition
    • Design Mentor, Santa Clara University
    • OpenAI Invite-Only Member
    • Women in AI Champion, North America 2025
    • Forbes 50 Over 50 Nominee
    • White House AI Workforce Champion · Department of Labor Invited (Twice)

    Where Your Student Can Reach

    Opportunity to showcase and submit to highly acclaimed competitions and research conferences:

    Regeneron ISEF logo

    ISEF

    NeurIPS logo

    Neural Information Processing Systems

    Presidential AI Challenge logo
    MIT RSI logo

    MIT RSI

    Research Pathways

    Where Your Student's Research Can Go

    Every Research Track student works toward at least one of these pathways. The PI and Research Advisor help identify the right target based on your student's topic, timeline, and goals.

    Peer-Reviewed Publication

    Your student is listed as First Author on submissions to journals and conferences in AI ethics, computer science, or their chosen intersection field. Publication is not guaranteed — peer review is rigorous — but the PI guides the paper to submission-ready quality.

    Science Fair & Competition Entry

    Regeneron ISEF, JSHS, Google Science Fair, Technovation, and regional fairs. The research framework maps directly to competition judging criteria — especially the ethics and societal impact categories where most students are weakest.

    College Application Portfolio

    A substantive research paper where your student is First Author — co-authored with a named PI who is a former Stanford AI Adjunct Faculty member — is one of the strongest extracurricular signals in competitive admissions. It demonstrates intellectual depth, self-direction, and genuine academic contribution.

    Conference Presentation

    Present findings at student research symposia, AI ethics conferences, and invited talks. Public speaking and academic presentation skills are developed alongside the research itself.

    Your Research Team

    A PI and a Dedicated Research Advisor. For One Student.

    Every Research Track student has a two-person team: the Chief AI Architect & Principal Investigator who oversees the research and co-authors the paper, and a 1:1 Research Advisor who meets weekly to guide technical execution.

    Chief AI Architect & Principal Investigator

    Shilpi Agarwal

    Shapes the research question, designs methodology, leads ethics analysis, and co-authors every paper. Also delivers the ethics, design thinking, entrepreneurship, and AI tools for research curriculum directly.

    Former Stanford AI Adjunct Faculty · ISEF Grand Award Judge · NeurIPS Presenter

    1:1 Research Advisors

    Weekly Technical Guidance

    Each student is matched with a Research Advisor — an industry mentor or PhD candidate — who provides dedicated weekly sessions on research methodology, data collection, analysis, and writing.

    • Juliana Shihadeh · Published AI-Bias Researcher, AI & SOCIETY
    • Marius Fleischer · NVIDIA
    • Troy Kling · AI Engineer
    • Additional advisors matched based on research topic

    The Research Process

    From Question to Paper — Step by Step

    This is the same research methodology Shilpi taught Stanford professionals — adapted for high school students conducting their first independent study.

    1. 01

      Research Question & Literature Review

      The PI helps your student identify a meaningful, original research question in AI ethics. Together, they survey existing literature and find the gap the paper will fill.

    2. 02

      Methodology Design & Ethics Framework

      Design a rigorous research approach — qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods. The PI leads the ethics framework: bias auditing, stakeholder analysis, fairness evaluation.

    3. 03

      Data Collection & Analysis

      The Research Advisor guides weekly data work — collecting, cleaning, analyzing, and interpreting. Your student builds real technical skills in the process.

    4. 04

      Writing & Revision

      Draft the paper in academic format. The PI and Advisor review iteratively — structure, argument, evidence, citations. Multiple rounds until it meets submission standards.

    5. 05

      Submission & Presentation

      Submit to the target journal, conference, or competition. Prepare a presentation. The PI is listed as co-author; the Research Advisor as acknowledged contributor.

    The STEAM in AI Method

    The 5-Step Ethics-First Framework

    Every research project follows the same rigorous process. It's what separates a student essay from a genuine academic contribution.

    1. 1

      Identify

      Define an original AI ethics question, the affected stakeholders, and the research gap worth investigating.

    2. 2

      Research

      Review existing scholarship, design the study, gather evidence, and analyze findings with advisor guidance.

    3. 3

      Ethics Audit

      Evaluate bias, fairness, privacy, transparency, and downstream impact as part of the methodology itself.

    4. 4

      Prototype

      Build and test a model, framework, audit, or proof of concept that makes the research question measurable.

    5. 5

      Impact

      Turn the findings into a submission-ready paper, competition entry, and clear academic presentation.

    Guide for Parents

    How to Choose the Right AI Research Program for Your Student

    Research programs vary enormously in rigor, supervision, and what your student actually walks away with. Ask these questions before you invest.

    See the Full Comparison

    How STEAM in AI Compares to Other Programs

    We've published detailed, transparent comparisons so you can make an informed decision.

    STEAM in AI vs. Algoverse vs. iResearch Institute vs. Future Forward Labs

    STEAM in AI vs. Lumiere vs. Pioneer Academics

    Your Student's Research Starts Here

    1:1 enrollment. Book a complimentary 45-minute Research Fit Assessment to discuss your student's interests, timeline, and the right research pathway.

    Book a Consultation

    No commitment. No pressure. Just clarity.