Understanding AI in practice

How artificial intelligence behaves outside the lab is becoming a decisive question for research, regulation, and society. Since mid-January 2026, Lepakshi Venkatraman has been a doctoral researcher at RC Trust, working in the Compliant and Accountable Systems group led by Prof. Jat Singh.

Lepakshi’s academic path has been research-driven from the very beginning. After completing her bachelor’s degree, she moved directly into an MRes in Telecommunications at University College London and then into doctoral study. She graduated as the top-ranked student at both undergraduate and master’s levels, reflecting a strong combination of technical excellence and analytical depth.

During her master’s studies at UCL, Lepakshi collaborated with Northeastern University on experimental research into AI-driven smart devices. In parallel, she worked with researchers engaging with the UK Information Commissioner’s Office on questions of ethics, data protection, and accountability in deployed systems. These experiences shaped her interest in understanding AI not only as a theoretical construct, but as a technology operating in real-world contexts – where legal, ethical, and technical requirements intersect.

Her earlier training in Electronics and Communication Engineering further grounded this perspective. As an undergraduate, Lepakshi held research assistant positions, including work with IIT Delhi, gaining hands-on experience with real systems and experimentation. This foundation continues to inform her research approach today.

In her PhD project at RC Trust, Lepakshi focuses on building and evaluating machine learning-based AI systems, with particular attention to agentic and embodied AI. She is interested in how such systems behave, where they fail, and how they can be examined, tested, and held to account in practice – key questions for trustworthy and responsible AI.

Alongside her technical work, writing plays an important role in her academic identity. Lepakshi writes poetry by choice and habit, with some of her work published in national newspapers. This sensitivity to language and argument also shapes her scholarly work, influencing how she approaches clarity, structure, and communication in research.

With Lepakshi Venkatraman joining the group, RC Trust strengthens its commitment to rigorous doctoral research at the intersection of advanced AI systems, accountability, and societal responsibility – investing in the next generation of researchers shaping the future of trustworthy technology.