A new feature by Ava Izadi for USC Viterbi spotlights ICT creative producer David Cobbins, a U.S. Army veteran and USC School of Cinematic Arts alumnus whose work bridges military experience, storytelling craft, and advanced virtual training research.
Cobbins leads the Emerging Leader Immersive Training Environment (ELITE) in the MxR Lab—ICT’s digital platform that builds real-world leadership and decision-making skills through interactive virtual scenarios. ELITE combines virtual human role-players, structured feedback, and data-driven assessment to help users navigate complex situations. Testing showed a significant increase in commanders’ knowledge after ELITE instruction.
Ava Izadi is a Student Writer at USC, contributing to both Keck Medicine and Viterbi School of Engineering while pursuing her Master’s in Public Relations and Advertising at USC Annenberg. She holds a BA in Communication Studies with a minor in Public Relations from Chapman University. In addition to her writing role, Ava serves as a Graduate Research Assistant at USC Annenberg and previously worked as an Assistant Learning Specialist with USC Athletics’ Academic Services department. She is an active member of USC PRSSA (Public Relations Student Society of America), the National Society of Collegiate Scholars and the USC Persian Student Organization.
Her article also highlights Cobbins’ growing portfolio, including DIVIS, LEADS, and ongoing efforts to integrate next-generation generative AI techniques to make virtual humans even more immersive and photorealistic.
For students, the piece underscores opportunities to engage with ICT’s research ecosystem through internships and student-worker roles across the year.
Read more in Ava Izadi’s full story on the Viterbi website: https://viterbischool.usc.edu/news/2025/11/where-service-meets-storytelling/