About Us

Leadership

Ola Ozernov-Palchik, Ph.D. is a developmental cognitive neuroscientist who advances the use of AI for literacy assessment and data-driven literacy instruction. She is Research Faculty at Boston University’s Wheelock College of Education & Human Development, where she serves as Associate Director of Translational Research for the AI and Education Initiative and Founder and Director of the Evidence-Based AI in Learning (EVAL) Industry Collaborative. At MIT, she is a Research Scientist at the McGovern Institute for Brain Research.

Author of more than 30 publications in Nature Communications*, NeuroImage, and NeurIPS, Ozernov-Palchik’s research investigates the neurocognitive mechanisms underlying language and reading comprehension in both typical development and dyslexia. She has led large-scale school-based and remote randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and translational research initiatives that bring rigorous science into classrooms to improve early screening and data-driven literacy instruction.

She is a national thought leader on AI’s role in education, advising philanthropies and EdTech innovators, speaking at major conferences, and designing a graduate program that prepares educators to critically evaluate and implement AI responsibly.

*in revision

Mary Bready is the project coordinator on the Evidence-Based AI in Learning (EVAL) Industry Collaborative. In this role, she is supporting the launch of the EVAL Industry Challenge by coordinating logistics, managing partner communications, and contributing to the design of evaluation and submission processes. She is excited about the potential of AI to be used to support children’s academic and cognitive development.

Before coming to BU Wheelock, Ms. Bready earned her MA in Child Study and Human Development from Tufts University, where she studied literacy development and research methodology. She brings both research coordination and classroom experience to the EVAL team, having previously managed large-scale literacy research initiatives and taught in early childhood and out-of-school-time programs for seven years.

Advisory Board

Maryanne Wolf, Ed.D., Director, Center for Dyslexia, Diverse Learners, and Social Justice, UCLA

A world-renowned cognitive neuroscientist and author of Proust and the Squid and Reader, Come Home, Dr. Wolf is an international authority on the reading brain and the effects of technology on literacy development. Her work integrates neuroscience, education, and ethics, illuminating how digital media reshapes comprehension and empathy. She advises EVAL on bridging neuroscience and AI to promote equitable, deep reading and learning in the digital age.

Chris Barton, Founder and CEO, Shazam; Investor and Philanthropist in Technology for Good

The founder of Shazam, one of the earliest large-scale AI applications acquired by Apple, Chris Barton brings decades of experience at the intersection of innovation and impact. His leadership in human-centered technology and data ethics informs EVAL’s approach to responsible AI in education. He contributes expertise in scaling evidence-based technology solutions while maintaining social responsibility and accessibility.

Yoky Matsuoka, Ph.D., Executive Officer of Panasonic, Global and Innovation Executive

Dr. Yoky Matsuoka is a technology and AI leader bridging academia and Silicon Valley to develop transformative solutions to empower people to be who they want to be. Dr. Matsuoka co-founded Google X, served as CTO/VP at Google/Nest, and helped lead Apple’s health initiatives to shape human-centered intelligent systems. Before her work in Silicon Valley, she was a pioneer in the intersection of robotics, AI, and neuroscience as a professor at Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Washington. She is a founder of YokyWorks Foundation, focused on technology tools for early intervention for dyslexia. She earned her Ph.D. and S.M. from MIT, and her B.S. from UC Berkeley. She was featured as one of Forbes “50 over 50” women in tech & innovation, and Inc. Top Female Founders in 2023. She lives with one husband, four children, two dogs, two cats, two horses, and one pig.

Nathan Jones, Ph.D., Commissioner, Institute of Education Sciences (IES); Associate Professor of Special Education, Boston University Wheelock College of Education & Human Development

Dr. Jones is a national leader in education research and policy, serving as Commissioner at the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences (IES), where he oversees research, evaluation, and data initiatives that shape evidence standards nationwide. He is also affiliated faculty with the Wheelock Educational Policy Center (WEPC) and a founding member of the BU Faculty of Computing & Data Sciences. His work bridges rigorous quantitative science with practical implementation to improve learning outcomes at scale. He provides EVAL with strategic guidance on research design, methodological rigor, and the development of transparent, policy-relevant evidence frameworks for AI and learning technologies.

Kristyn Manoukian, M.Sc., Program Director, The Learning Agency

With experience across nonprofits, government, and philanthropy in the United States and internationally, Ms. Manoukian leads strategy, development, and operations for evidence-driven education initiatives. She previously served as Director of Strategy and Development at Teach For Armenia and worked in the United Nations Resident Coordinator’s Office in Yerevan. She advises EVAL on partnership development, funding approaches, and implementation planning for multi-stakeholder evaluations that advance equitable learning outcomes.

Institutional Foundation

The Evidence-Based AI in Learning (EVAL) Industry Collaborative is anchored at Boston University, bringing together the strengths of the Wheelock College of Education & Human Development, the Hariri Institute for Computing, and the AI & Education Initiative.

• Wheelock College provides deep expertise in educational research across literacy, mathematics and science education, special education, early childhood, social-emotional learning, and multilingual education, as well as strong partnerships with schools and policymakers.
• The Hariri Institute contributes cutting-edge computational and data science capabilities, fostering cross-disciplinary collaborations that apply AI to pressing societal challenges.
• The AI & Education Initiative bridges these strengths, advancing research at the intersection of AI, learning, and equity.

Together, these institutions provide the foundation for EVAL’s mission: combining rigorous research, educational science, and advanced computational methods to ensure that AI technologies in education are effective, ethical, and equitable.

Our Solution

The Evidence-Based AI in Learning (EVAL) Industry Collaborative was created to help close the gap between rapid innovation and rigorous evidence. Rather than slowing innovation, we aim to strengthen it through partnership. By working directly with EdTech companies, we provide the research infrastructure and expertise that can demonstrate impact, build trust, and accelerate adoption in schools.

Through these partnerships, EVAL helps companies to:

• Embed rigorous evaluation into the product cycle, so tools are tested not only for novelty but for real-world learning outcomes.
• Translate decades of educational and cognitive science research into AI design and evaluation. For example, we draw on evidence from literacy research on how children learn to read, from mathematics education on how students develop reasoning, and from implementation science on how to support teachers in adopting new practices.
• Engage educators, students, and families as co-designers, ensuring products are relevant, equitable, and grounded in classroom realities.
• Generate trusted evidence that helps schools, districts, and policymakers make informed decisions.

Our goal is to create a process—similar to an “FDA for Education”—that supports innovation while ensuring AI technologies are effective, ethical, and equitable. By building this bridge between research, cognitive science, and industry, EVAL empowers companies to scale solutions that truly improve learning for all students.

From Vision to Practice

EVAL is more than a call for responsible innovation — it is a practical framework for action. We bring together expertise from education, cognitive science, and implementation research with cutting-edge methodologies to evaluate AI in education at scale. By combining rigorous research design with close collaboration across schools, districts, and industry, we ensure that generative AI tools are tested not only for whether they work, but for whom they work, and under what conditions.