Undergraduate Research

Congratulations to the January Undergraduate Researcher of the Month, Ella Luedeke! 

Ella Luedeke is a Computer Science major with a minor in Leadership who has been actively engaged in both on-campus and off-campus research during her undergraduate career. She has participated in 2 National Science Foundation (NSF)–funded Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REUs): One at the University of Texas at Arlington, where she conducted research in Natural Language Processing for animal communication, and another at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte focused on cybersecurity research. At UNF, Ella conducts research under the mentorship of Dr. Indika Kahanda, an Associate Professor in the UNF School of Computing, on automating misconception detection in STEM courses through Large Language Models.  

Her work has been presented at several venues, including the Showcase of Osprey Advancements in Research and Scholarship (SOARS), the Undergraduate–Graduate Learning, Inquiry, and Distinctive Experimentation (U-GLIDE) Symposium, and the Colloquium for Information Systems Security Education, where her work on gamified cybersecurity education for critical infrastructure is slated for publication in the Spring 2026 journal. She also has a project on the Systematization of Knowledge surrounding weird machines currently under submission to the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Computer Security Foundations Symposium (CSF).  

Outside of undergraduate research, Ella is highly involved across campus. She is a member of the Hicks Honors College and the Upsilon Pi Epsilon Honors Society, and she serves as a Peer Assisted Student Success Leader, a facilitator for the Honors Colloquium course, and President of the Women in Cybersecurity Club. Additionally, she serves as a student editor for the Florida Undergraduate Research Journal and a Student Ambassador for UNF’s College of Computing, Engineering, and Construction. 

After she graduates this May, Ella plans to attend the University of Cambridge to pursue a master’s degree, with the long-term goal of earning a PhD in Computer Science with a concentration in trustworthy and explainable artificial intelligence. Her advice to others wishing to get research experience is, "In college, you have access to an incredible number of resources from the Office of Undergraduate Research to Student Academic Success Services and an opportunity to connect to people who are genuinely invested in your success. Take advantage of it!"