Faculty Directory
Uri Wilensky

Professor of Computer Science

Professor of Education and Social Policy

Lorraine Morton Professor

Contact

2120 Campus Drive
Annenberg Room 337
Evanston, IL 60208

847-467-3818Email Uri Wilensky

Website

Uri Wilensky's Homepage

Center for Connected Learning

Departments

Computer Science

Affiliations

Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence

Education

Ph.D. Media Arts and Sciences, MIT, Cambridge, MA

M.A. Mathematics, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA

B.A. Mathematics and Philosophy, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA


Research Interests

Wilensky was awarded the Yidan Prize in 2025 and is the current Yidan Prize Laureate.


Selected Publications

  • Levy, Marissa; Peel, Amanda Nicole; Zhao, Lexie; LaGrassa, Nicholas; Horn, Michael S.; Wilensky, Uri, Secondary science teachers' conceptualizations and modifications to support equitable participation in a co-designed computational thinking lesson, Journal of Research in Science Teaching (2025).
  • Swanson, Hillary Lucille; Lawrence, Lu Etta Mae; Arnell, Jared; Jones, Bonni; Sherin, Bruce; Wilensky, Uri, Computational models as tools for supporting responsive teaching, Behaviour and Information Technology (2025).
  • Chen, John; Horn, Michael; Wilensky, Uri, Interactive Constructionist Scaffolds for Agent-based Modeling and Programming in NetLogo, Association for Computing Machinery (2024).
  • Dabholkar, Sugat Prasanna; Wilensky, Uri, Designing computational models as Emergent Systems Microworlds to support epistemically agentive learning of emergent biological phenomena, International Journal of Science Education (2025).
  • Swanson, Hillary; Wilensky, Uri, Meta-Theoretic Competence for Computational Agent-Based Modeling, Association for Computing Machinery (2024).
  • Chen, John; Lu, Xi; Du, David; Rejtig, Michael; Bagley, Ruth; Horn, Michael S.; Wilensky, Uri J., Learning Agent-based Modeling with LLM Companions, Association for Computing Machinery (2024).
  • Aslan, Umit; Horn, Michael; Wilensky, Uri, Why are some students “not into” computational thinking activities embedded within high school science units? Key takeaways from a microethnographic discourse analysis study, Science Education (2024).
  • Vermeer, Wouter; Gurkan, Can; Hjorth, Arthur; Benbow, Nanette; Mustanski, Brian M.; Kern, David; Brown, C. Hendricks; Wilensky, Uri, Agent-based model projections for reducing HIV infection among MSM, PloS one (2022).
  • Vermeer, Wouter H.; Smith, Justin D.; Wilensky, Uri; Brown, C. Hendricks, High-Fidelity Agent-Based Modeling to Support Prevention Decision-Making, Prevention Science (2022).
  • Kelter, Jacob; Peel, Amanda; Bain, Connor; Anton, Gabriella; Dabholkar, Sugat; Horn, Michael S.; Wilensky, Uri, Constructionist co-design, British Journal of Educational Technology 52(3):1043-1059 (2021).
  • Bain, Connor; Wilensky, Uri, Vectors of ct-ification, Association for Computing Machinery:1361 (2020).
  • Hjorth, Arthur; Head, Bryan; Head, Bryan; Wilensky, Uri, Levelspace, JASSS 23(1) (2020).
  • Weintrop, D.; Wilensky, Uri, Transitioning from introductory block-based and text-based environments to professional programming languages in high school computer science classrooms, Computers and Education 142 (2019).
  • Arastoopour Irgens, Golnaz; Dabholkar, Sugat; Bain, Connor; Woods, Philip; Hall, Kevin; Swanson, Hillary; Horn, Michael; Wilensky, Uri, Modeling and Measuring High School Students’ Computational Thinking Practices in Science, Journal of Science Education and Technology 29(1):137-161 (2020).
  • Head, Bryan; Hjorth, Arthur; Brady, Corey; Wilensky, Uri, Evolving agent cognition with Netlogo LevelSpace, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.:3122-3123 (2016).
  • Brady, Corey E; Weintrop, David; Gracey, Ken; Anton, Gabby; Wilensky, Uri, The CCL-parallax programmable badge, Association for Computing Machinery, Inc:139-144 (2015).
  • Weintrop, David; Beheshti, Elham; Horn, Michael; Orton, Kai; Jona, Kemi; Trouille, Laura; Wilensky, Uri, Defining Computational Thinking for Mathematics and Science Classrooms, Journal of Science Education and Technology 25(1):127-147 (2016).