I'm Charan Pushpanathan Prabavathi; In-short Charan;
I'm a first-year Ph.D. student in Information Sciences at the School of Information Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign 
, where I am advised by Dr. Michael Twidale. My research will focus on Human-Computer Interaction, including:
- Learning to Use: learning theories and training users
- Novel interfaces with minimal information
- Collaborative environments
- Making intelligence in the sciences of artificial
Current research interests on human–AI interaction to create active learning environments, collaborative systems, and novel interfaces that augment human intellect and bridge the gap between expert and novice users. I work at the intersection of HCI, Design Research, CSCW, AI, and learning sciences.
Graduated from Penn State.
I completed a Master of Science in Informatics with a focus on Human-Computer Interaction at
Penn State University's
College of Information Sciences and Technology 
,
where I was a graduate researcher in the Collaboration Innovation Lab advised by
Dr. John M. Carroll.
His insights left a lasting imprint on how I conceived of HCI and the philosophical currents beneath technological design,
and my research there explored human-computer interaction, cooperative activity, synergies, learning to use, and interface design.
At Penn State, I witnessed with some pretty sharp minds. Jack Carroll (aka John M. Carroll; my advisor), Ritter, Zhang, Huang I got to see how these folks actually work, not just read their papers.
I graduated from Kumaraguru College of Technology with a Bachelor's in Computer Science and Engineering.
Previously, I held roles involving user testing, research, and interface design at HDFC Bank, Freecharge (backed by Axis Bank), and was a founding member/designer at an angel-backed capital markets startup (now closed).
I am currently living in Champaign, Illinois.