Dr. Ross Aikins

Dr. Ross Aikins is an Adjunct Associate Professor who joined the faculty of the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education (Penn GSE) in 2013. His primary research interests focus on behavioral trends in college student health and wellness, institutional responses to crises, and, most recently, student use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools in postsecondary settings.

His current collaboration with WISE/IIE explores academic use cases and evolving ethical perceptions around ChatGPT and other AI platforms. Previously, Dr. Aikins collaborated with the University of Toronto to analyze institutional policy responses to COVID-19 through the crisis communications of Chinese, Canadian, and U.S. postsecondary institutions during the pandemic.

Prior to joining Penn GSE, Dr. Aikins received a Ruth L. Kirschstein U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) Postdoctoral Fellowship, where he oversaw a large multi-regional survey of prescription drug diversion and researched the health outcomes of military veterans attending college. He earned his Ph.D. in Higher Education from UCLA, receiving the Margaret J. Barr Research Award from the U.S. Department of Education for his work on cognitive enhancement drug use in academia.

Dr. Aikins has authored numerous high-impact publications in educational research journals and presented over 20 selected or invited talks at scholarly organizations including the American Educational Research Association (AERA), the American College Health Association (ACHA), the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE), TED, and NerdNite. A native Californian, he has taught and worked in both K–12 and postsecondary settings, including at the University of Southern California, Carnegie Mellon University, UCLA, CUNY Brooklyn College, and Occidental College.