2026 PBL Faculty Fellows

Department(s):

Project-based Learning

We are delighted to announce the recipients of this years’ Project-Based Learning Faculty Fellows.  The faculty fellows program at the Center for Project-Based Learning provides WPI faculty members with time, resources, and a supportive community of peers as they develop materials meant to help instructors everywhere use project-based learning more effectively. Brief descriptions of the 2026 fellows’ projects are below.

Digital Twins as Pedagogical Infrastructure for Lab-Intensive Project-Based Learning

Mahdi Agheli

image of Mahdi

This project will develop a modular faculty toolkit to support project-based learning with public-sector partners. The toolkit addresses common challenges such as bureaucratic constraints, leadership transitions, institutional capacity gaps, and the need for early, demonstrable results without losing long-term educational and civic value. The toolkit will be adaptable across discipline and institutional contexts.

Designing Community-Embedded PBL with Public-Sector Partners: A Modular Faculty Toolkit for Long-Term, Real-World Projects

Guilherme Chaloub Dourado

Image of Guilherme

This project will develop a modular faculty toolkit to support project-based learning with public-sector partners. The toolkit addresses common challenges such as bureaucratic constraints, leadership transitions, institutional capacity gaps, and the need for early, demonstrable results without losing long-term educational and civic value. The toolkit will be adaptable across discipline and institutional contexts.

Integrating Career Readiness and Professional Development into the PBL Classroom

Elisabeth (Lisa) Stoddard

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Dr. Stoddard will develop a suite of PBL assignments, tools, and modules that allow faculty across disciplines and institution types to integrate career and professional development into their classrooms. This includes integrating career readiness competencies into syllabi, offering assignments related to career explorations, and helping students articulate skills and learning acquired through projects.