Ross Aikins

Ross Aikins is an Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education (Penn GSE), serving as Program Manager for the Higher Education Division. He holds a Ph.D. in Higher Education and Organizational Change from UCLA (2011), with prior NIH postdoctoral fellowship at NDRI in New York City. His research focuses on student health/wellness, substance abuse policies, institutional crisis responses (e.g., pandemic strategies), and emerging AI tool usage in education. He advises over 60 graduate students and oversees the Penn GSE Graduate Assistantship Program.

Education:

• Ph.D., Higher Education & Organizational Change, UCLA (2011)
• Postdoctoral Fellowship, NIH-funded at National Development and Research Institutes (NDRI)

Research Interests: College student mental health, cognitive enhancement drug ethics, AI in academia, and institutional pandemic responses. Recent work explores ChatGPT/AI tool adoption patterns among students, particularly supporting international learners.

He has presented at major conferences including AERA, ACHA, and TED, with over 20 invited talks. Awards include the U.S. Department of Education’s Margaret J. Barr Research Award for work on stimulant drug use among college students.

Grants & Advising: Oversees master’s programs, manages admissions for higher education doctoral programs, and leads AI ethics research initiatives. Collaborates internationally, including a comparative pandemic communication study with University of Toronto.

Labs/Teams: Leads Penn GSE’s Higher Education Division research cluster focusing on student well-being and emerging technologies in education.