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Vijay Kumar has driven sustainable, technology-enabled educational innovation at MIT For over 28 years. As the Founding Executive Director of J-WEL (Abdul Latif Jameel World Education Lab) and Associate Dean for Open Learning, he has developed strategies and led initiatives integrating technology into education.

His prior roles include Senior Associate Dean of Undergraduate Education and Assistant Provost at MIT.Assistant Provost

Vijay has spearheaded key projects such as the Open Knowledge Initiative (O.K.I.) supported by the Mellon Foundation, a collaborative effort to develop open architectures for educational applications, and CLIx, a Tata-MIT initiative recognized with UNESCO’s 2017 King Hamad Prize for improving educational quality and access in underserved Indian schools.

He also worked on NSF- and U.S. Department of Education-funded projects addressing STEM education in Haiti and differentiated student learning needs, respectively.

He is a member of the Faculty Advisory Committee of MIT OpenCourseWare (OCW), served as the Executive officer for MIT's Council on Educational Technology and as a member of the steering committee for I-Campus, the MIT-Microsoft Alliance initiative for educational technology.

A global advisor and researcher, Vijay has collaborated with organizations like WHO, UNESCO, the Smithsonian, and the India National Knowledge Commission. His recent engagements include advancing STEM education, AI literacy, and educational futuring in Southeast Asia (SEAMEO, Philippines), the MENA region, Central Asia (Uzbekistan), and India. His expertise extends to fostering open educational resources, educational policy, and teacher professional development through technology. Notable roles include advisory positions with the Al Ghurair Foundation, Qatar Foundation International, and Singapore University of Technology and Design, among others. He has also been active in professional organizations such as Educause, Internet2, and the New Media Consortium.

Vijay co-edited the book Opening Up Education (MIT Press, 2008) and has authored numerous articles on educational innovation and technology strategy. His accolades include an Honorary Professorship from Tianjin Open University and the Exxon Mobil Chair for Technology-Enabled Learning at the University of Qatar.

He has been an important contributor to professional organizations such as Educause (Seminars on Academic Computing (SAC, Chair), ICDE, Internet2 (Applications Strategy Council ,New Media Consortium (

Vijay was awarded an Honorary Professorship by Tianjin Open University, October 2013. He was also appointed as the Exxon Mobil Chair for Technology Enabled Learning at the University of Qatar, 2014.

Education.

  • Ed.D. University of Massachusetts, Amherst, 1986; Dissertation: "Introducing Technological Innovations for Education in a Developing Country - Implications for Planning."
  • M.S. Industrial Management, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras, India, 1978; Dissertation: "Systemic Planning for Higher Education Administration"
  • B.Tech. Chemical Engineering, IIT, Madras, India, 1975.
  • Distinguished Alumnus Award, IIT, Madras, India, 2011.