James Weichert

Hi, I'm James. 👋

This fall I'll be joining the University of Washington Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering as an Assistant Teaching Professor.

I'm currently finishing my M.S. in Computer Science at Virginia Tech, where my research in the Machine Learning Lab focuses on AI ethics and policy, including AI regulation and AI ethics education. I graduated from UC Berkeley in May 2023 with majors in computer science and data science and a minor in public policy. My scholarship focuses on the intersection of public policy, data, technology, and education, and as a CS educator I am passionate about creating an inclusive and supportive environment for students to discover a love for computing. In my spare time, I like to travel 🚆, read 📚, and cook 🍳.

Stay tuned for more updates as I continue my teaching career at UW!

My teaching experience spans both undergraduate and graduate courses covering a wide range of topics in computer and data science, including Python and Java programming, data manipulation and visualization, statistics, linear algebra, classical machine learning, and computing ethics. I am particularly passionate about teaching courses on introductory programming, data science and machine learning, and social implications of computing.

Virginia Tech

• CS 4664 Machine Learning Capstone

  Graduate TA (Spring 2025)

• CS 5805 Machine Learning I *

  Graduate TA (Fall 2024)

• CS 5806 Machine Learning II *

  Graduate TA (Spring 2024)

• CS 1114 Introduction to Software Design

  Graduate TA (Fall 2023)

* Graduate course

University of California, Berkeley

• Data 6 Introduction to Computational Thinking with Data

  Instructor (Summer 2022 & 2023)

• Data 8 Foundations of Data Science

  Lead TA (2022 - 2023), Undergraduate TA (Spring 2022), Tutor (Fall 2021)

My research at Virginia Tech explores the dual role of CS students as consumers of and learners about AI technologies. I am interested both in what government policies might shape the development and use of AI, and in how we teach students about AI and its impacts on society. A particular strand of inquiry explores student attitudes and competencies related to AI ethics and policy, culminating in the creation of a two-lecture "AI Policy Module" that I piloted with a graduate-level introductory machine learning class. The module is intended to go beyond the 'surface-level' treatment of AI ethics, focusing instead on how tools, policies, and governance structures can be leveraged to promote the responsible development and use of AI.

Publications

• J. Weichert and H. Eldardiry (2025). "Educating a Responsible AI Workforce: Piloting a Curricular Module on AI Policy in a Graduate Machine Learning Course," American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Annual Conference 2025. Recently accepted.
• J. Weichert, D. Kim, Q. Zhu, J. Kim, and H. Eldardiry (2025). "Assessing Computer Science Student Attitudes Towards AI Ethics and Policy," Arxiv preprint.
• E. Ali, J. Weichert, Y. Sun, H. Eldardiry, Q. Zhu, and D. Kim (2025). "Exploring Translational Ethical Competency (TEC) in AI Design: Conceptual Analysis and Methodological Reflections from a Pilot Study," IEEE ETHICS 2025. Recently accepted.
• J. Weichert, D. Kim, Q. Zhu, and H. Eldardiry (2024). "‘Do I Have to Take This Class?’: A Review of Ethics Requirements in Computer Science Curricula," ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education (SIGCSE) 2025.
• J. Weichert, Q. Zhu, D. Kim, and H. Eldardiry (2024). "Perceptions of AI Ethics Policies Among Scientists and Engineers in Policy-Related Roles: An Exploratory Investigation," Digital Society.
• J. Weichert and H. Eldardiry (2024). "Computer Science Student Attitudes Towards AI Ethics and Policy: A Preliminary Investigation," IEEE International Symposium on Technology and Society (ISTAS) 2024.
• J. Kim, M. Klopfer, J.R. Grohs, H. Eldardiry, J. Weichert, L.A. Cox II, D. Pike (2025). "Examining Faculty and Student Perceptions of Generative AI in University Courses," Innovative Higher Education.
• J. Weichert and C. Dimobi (2024). "DUPE: Detection Undermining via Prompt Engineering for Deepfake Text," Arxiv.

Email: james [dot] p [dot] weichert [at] gmail