Preparing Veterans

The transition to the civilian workforce can be difficult for veterans, but researchers at Texas A&M University, the University of Florida and the University of Pennsylvania are collaborating to help. Funded by a National Science Foundation grant, the group is conducting research on artificial intelligence to help combat veterans mitigate stress during job interviews.

The Texas A&M team, which consists of professors Theodora Chaspari (computer science), Amir Behzadan (construction science) and Winfred Arthur Jr. (psychological and brain sciences), will partner with the Don & Ellie Knauss Veteran Resource and Support Center to recruit student veterans for job interview studies that measure stress based on vocalizations, visual expressions and physiological reactivity. “We will leverage artificial intelligence, affective computing and data analysis to create personalized models of a veteran’s response to complex job interviews,” Chaspari said.

Using the models, veterans can then recognize their triggers and learn how to better cope with stress during an interview. The team hopes the study will help remove implicit bias and misconceptions against veterans during the hiring process and contribute to their career success.