Lu (Ingrid) Cao is an assistant professor at the Curriculum and Instruction Center in the Faculty of Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University. She completed her PhD in Learning Sciences at The University of Sydney, Australia, in 2020. Following her PhD, she conducted postdoctoral research at East China Normal University in Shanghai, China.

Dr. Cao’s research interests focus on the use of innovative instructional approaches or learning theories, such as productive failure and analogical comparison, as well as educational technologies like educational games and virtual learning environments to support learning, especially in K-12 STEAM education. She has independently developed several educational games and virtual learning environments such as Wizard and Fairies and Suwen. She has also participated in the bidding process for the development of the new edition of primary school science textbooks in Shanghai.

Current projects

Lead CI in 2025 Shanghai Jiao Tong University Humanities Young Talent Development Program: Developing University Students’ Transformative Agency in the Digital and Intelligence Era (2025QN041, AU$10000)

Lead CI in 2023 Shanghai Education Sciences Research Early Career Program: Developing Adolescents’ Creative Thinking in Metaverse (B2023001, AU$12000)