Dr. Alvarez was the CEREAL Lab’s first doctoral recruit, joining NC State in 2019. She graduated in Summer 2025 after a rigorous three-phase journey through her PhD program with multiple advisors. Dr. Alvarez wrote her dissertation, “Safety, AI Ethics, and Education: A Multidisciplinary Investigation
of Responsible AI and Trustworthy ML Development,” under the direction of her committee: Dr. Veronica Cateté, Dr. Edgar Lobaton, Dr. Thomas Price, Dr. Xiaorui Liu, and Dr. Tiffany Barnes. She starts her post-academia career at Willow Tree as a Senior Applied AI Researcher. She plans to use computer science as a tool to promote racial and gender equity. She’s interested in a career that impacts society and the lives of future people of color for the better and has a commitment to education and mentorship.
Linkedin Profile | Google Scholar | Dissertation
