Kyla Ross, director of graduate training and senior academic professional in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering (BME), will become the next assistant vice provost for Advocacy and Conflict Resolution (AVP-ACR), effective Dec. 20, 2019.

The AVP-ACR position is a full-time academic faculty position. In this role, Ross will oversee the interpretation and enforcement of Georgia Tech policies and rules, as well as the grievances, complaints, and inquiries by administrators, faculty, staff, and students including allegations of academic, scholarly, or research misconduct, and other academic issues concerning compliance with policies and procedures.

The search for the AVP-ACR was chaired by Vice President for Student Life and Brandt-Fritz Dean of Students Chair John Stein. The position will report to Bonnie Ferri, vice provost for Graduate Education and Faculty Development, with dotted line reporting to Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Rafael L. Bras. This structure will allow the AVP-ACR necessary access to the provost to address critical and urgent matters as required.

“Kyla Ross has shown herself to be an effective and passionate teacher, administrator, and mentor,” said Ferri. “Her focus on effective communication and enthusiasm for problem-solving will serve as a great foundation as she takes on this new role.”

Ross joined Georgia Tech as a part of BME in 2016. Before coming to Georgia Tech, she served for nearly a decade as a senior academic professional in the Department of Biology at Georgia State University. Ross was among the first class of students in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering. Upon completing her Ph.D., she also worked as a research engineer in Georgia Tech’s School of Applied Physiology, and then as a postdoctoral fellow in BME’s Fellowships in Research and Science Teaching (FIRST) program.

“I look forward to working with administrators, faculty, staff, and students on resolving conflicts in accordance with Institute policies and procedures,” said Ross. “I am also eager to learn more about common conflicts across the Institute, and to provide training opportunities that promote positive lab, work, and class environments.”

Her research interests include pedagogical practices in biomedical engineering graduate and undergraduate instruction. Current research includes working directly with community college human anatomy and physiology instructors to study the use and effectiveness of evidence-based instructional practices in their classrooms. She is also a certified facilitator in the National Research Mentoring Network, has developed a Georgia Tech faculty workshop series on mentorship, and co-hosted lab culture workshops.

Along with her Ph.D. from Georgia Tech, Ross also holds a Bachelor of Science in Biological and Agricultural Engineering from Louisiana State University.