Trevor DePodesta

PhD Student, Computer Science

LLM interpretability, Human-AI interaction, Data visualization

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Hey! 👋 My name is Trevor, and I’m a PhD student in Computer Science. Prior to joining the Variation Lab, I spent four years co-advised by profs. Martin Wattenberg and Fernanda Viegas in the Insight & Interaction Lab, with a research focus at the intersection of interpretability, visualization, and human-centered design. Much of my research asks what people need to see, steer, or verify to effectively engage with interactive AI systems, and builds interfaces that pair language with a visible, adjustable view of the state that shapes their results. A former Resident Tutor, I did my undergraduate and masters degrees at Harvard, where I became the College’s first ever AI degree holder with an AB in Ethical Human-AI Interaction. I also co-teach ES 297, SEAS’ Scientific Writing Practicum every semester—interested graduate students (or advanced undergraduates working on a thesis) should feel free to reach out about joining our waitlists. Beyond my time at SEAS, I have held research affiliations with the Harvard Radcliffe Institute, the Belfer Center Intelligence Project at Harvard Kennedy School, and the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard Law, where I now run the Student Leaders in AI program.