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Vo Van De

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Vo Van De

Dr

 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8515-0221

Accepting PhD Students

PhD projects

I am pleased to supervise any project looking at AI-driven STEM education, digital formative assessment, scientific reasoning or socio-scientific reasoning in secondary schools. I welcome inquiries regarding inclusive STEAM simulations, personalised learning technologies, and teacher professional development, particularly those focused on integrating emerging digital tools to enhance inquiry-based learning environments.

20202026

Research activity per year

Personal profile

Biography

Dr. De Van Vo is a post-doctoral researcher in Science Education at Epi•STEM National Centre for STEM Education, in the School of Education at the University of Limerick. He started as a post-doctoral researcher in 2022 on the HEA-funded Building Teacher Knowledge for Quality STEM Education project, focusing on CPD for out-of-field teachers.
Building on this, he was awarded a Government of Ireland Postdoctoral Fellowship (2023–2025) to develop interactive simulation packages for scientific inquiry. Currently, he is the Principal Investigator for a Research Ireland Enterprise Fellowship (2026–Present) in partnership with Eli Lilly. This project co-designs digital resources to empower inclusive, problem-based STEAM learning.

Research Interests

His research explores the intersection of science education, assistive technology, and digital assessment. I am particularly interested in how social and cognitive dimensions shape scientific and socio-scientific reasoning. Additionally, I am investigating potential risks students may encounter in these settings and ways to mitigate them.
His current research projects include:
- Inclusive STEAM Simulations: Co-designing interactive simulations with Eli Lilly to foster inquiry-based STEAM education in post-primary schools, with a focus on accessibility and inclusion.
- Digital Scientific Reasoning: Investigating complex problem-solving and the protective role of digital literacy against risks like cyberbullying in secondary education.
- AI-Enhanced Personalised Learning: Applying agentic artificial intelligence to support differentiated STEM instruction and formative assessment within digital environments.
I am happy to supervise PhD projects looking at AI in education, digital scientific reasoning, interactive simulations, or inclusive STEAM pedagogy.
 
Research Projects:

2026 - : Advancing STEAM education in post-primary school in Ireland through a school-university-enterprise partnership: interactive simulations to empower inclusive and problem-based leaning and skills for a successful green and digital transition – Research Ireland Enterprise Fellowships, with Enterprise Partner Eli Lilly Kinsale Limited t/a Eli Lilly Limerick.

The project allows optimising expertise and experience from university, enterprise and school to co-develop innovative digital resources, combining pedagogical practices, gamified interactivity, and authentic contexts to strengthen students’ critical thinking, socio-scientific reasoning and problem-solving. The project will introduce socio-scientific issues from local contexts to global challenges by modelling scientific concepts and offering instructional support, aligning with Ireland’s post-primary science curricula and national policy in STEM/STEAM education.

Research team: Dr. De Van Vo (PI), Prof. Geraldine Mooney Simme (Academic Mentors), Martin Power (Enterprise Mentors).

2023 - 2025: Development of on-line CPD resources for secondary school science teachers in Ireland: Introduction of interactive simulations for assessing and teaching scientific inquiry in Physics - a Government of Ireland Postdoctoral Fellowship, funded by Research Ireland (Mentor: Prof. Geraldine Mooney Simme).

The project aims to develop and validate interactive simulation packages. Classroom teachers can use them for teaching and assessment to enhance students’ scientific inquiry competence (e.g., identify questions or hypotheses for scientific investigations, design scientific investigations, recognize control of variables strategy, collect data, analyse and interpret data, and explain results and draw conclusions).

2022-2023: Building Teacher Knowledge for Quality STEM Education - funded by Higher Education Authority (HEA).

The project aimed to support the professional growth of out-of-field teachers in Irish post-primary schools by developing a comprehensive suite of CPD packages. He was a Post-doctoral researcher in the HEA project (PI: Prof. Geraldine Mooney Simme). 

2018-2022: Assessing inductive reasoning, scientific reasoning and science motivation- Stipendium Hungaricum scholarship (PhD study project).

The project focus on development technology-based assessment tests and instruments and to assess secondary school students related to inductive reasoning, scientific reasoning and motivation toward to learning science (Suppervisor: Prof. Benő Csapó).

 

Related documents

Education/Academic qualification

PhD, University of Szeged

1 Sept 2018 → 25 Jun 2022

Award Date: 25 Jun 2022

Keywords

  • LB1603 Secondary Education. High schools
  • Science Education
  • technology-based assessment
  • AI in Education
  • L Education (General)

Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals

In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):

  1. SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being
    SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being
  2. SDG 4 - Quality Education
    SDG 4 Quality Education
  3. SDG 5 - Gender Equality
    SDG 5 Gender Equality
  4. SDG 10 - Reduced Inequalities
    SDG 10 Reduced Inequalities
  5. SDG 11 - Sustainable Cities and Communities
    SDG 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities
  6. SDG 17 - Partnerships for the Goals
    SDG 17 Partnerships for the Goals

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