Higher Education Access
Doctoral participation, academic labor, institutional constraint, and support for scholars with episodic or invisible disabilities.
Prospective doctoral applicant · software developer
Rosalind R. Gash
rrgash@protonmail.comI am a full-stack software engineer exploring doctoral study at the intersection of learning sciences, critical disability studies, human-directed artificial intelligence, and higher education access.
My current self-directed project, Adaptive Digital Academic Practice, examines how chronically ill, invisibly disabled, and energy-limited scholars use AI tools, automation, and digital workflows to sustain research while preserving interpretive control.
Research Interests
My interests focus on how higher education might better support academic work under conditions of fluctuating capacity, chronic illness, invisible disability, and limited physical energy.
The ADAP Framework
Adaptive Digital Academic Practice is a preliminary framework for thinking about AI-supported academic workflows as adaptive scaffolds for energy-limited research, writing, coding, and qualitative analysis. The framework is self-directed and unpublished; I hope to refine it through doctoral study.
Guiding questions
- How do chronically ill and invisibly disabled scholars adapt academic work around fluctuating capacity?
- How can human-directed AI workflows reduce procedural cognitive demand without replacing scholarly judgment?
- What kinds of digital scaffolding make advanced research more physically sustainable?
- How might higher education move beyond static accommodation models toward more adaptive forms of participation?
Learning Sciences
Technology-mediated learning, adaptive scaffolding, distributed cognition, and knowledge production under constraint.
Critical Disability Studies
Chronic illness, fluctuating access needs, energy limitation, and accessibility beyond compliance-centered models.
Human-Directed AI
AI-supported research workflows that preserve interpretation, authorship, accountability, and human control.
Current Project
The following work is self-directed, unpublished, and not yet peer reviewed. I present it here as evidence of research preparation and as the foundation for the doctoral questions I hope to pursue.
Unpublished working manuscript
Adaptive Digital Academic Practice: Disability, Structural Constraint, and Epistemic Entrepreneurship in Graduate Research
This manuscript combines disability studies, higher education access, qualitative methodology, and human-AI workflow design. It began as a thought experiment and developed into a practice-based research agenda about how digital tools may support energy-limited academic work.
Preliminary internal analysis
Human-in-the-loop qualitative workflow
As part of the ADAP project, I built a modular Python pipeline that uses LLMs to extract structural themes from qualitative text while keeping human interpretation at the center of the process. In an internal comparison, the workflow suggested reduced procedural cognitive demand while preserving substantial agreement with traditional manual coding.
Status note: This project has not been submitted for peer review. I am using it to clarify research fit, identify appropriate doctoral programs, and develop a supervised dissertation direction.
Academic Preparation
Education & Coursework
Computer Science & Mathematics Studies
Rust College, Holly Springs, MS · GPA: 3.4 / 4.0
Completed 2 years of foundational computer science and advanced mathematics coursework as a non-traditional post-baccalaureate student.
MBA & Master in International Trade
ENEB / Universidad Isabel I, Spain · Graduated 2023
Joint postgraduate programs focusing on strategic management, international trade frameworks, and data-driven operational logic.
BS in Sociology
The State University of New York at Oneonta · Graduated 2000
Applied Systems Work
My software background includes building and operating production web applications, including education administration, trade finance, and website monitoring systems. This practical systems-building experience informs my developing interest in human-AI collaboration and academic workflow design.
Software Development
Full-stack development, production web applications, database-backed systems, and AI-assisted coding workflows.
Research Preparation
Qualitative research interests, thematic analysis, literature synthesis, disability studies, and higher education access.
Honors & Distinctions
- Academic Excellence Cum Laude Certificate, MBA — ENEB / Universidad Isabel I
- Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award, Rust College
- Honors Residential Scholar, Rust College
- Merit-based institutional scholarship, Rust College
- Performance scholarship, Rust College A'Cappella Choir