REGISTER
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Colleges and universities have spent years adopting tools and otherwise figuring out how to respond to AI. Now comes the harder—and more exciting—part: Uncovering and shaping how AI is changing the underlying practices of teaching, learning and research.
From personalized learning that could fundamentally alter the faculty role to AI-assisted research that could reshape how disciplines generate and validate knowledge, new possibilities are emerging all the time.
Featuring data and expert insights, this live webcast discussion will examine what is actually happening at that frontier, and what institutions broadly will need to get there.
We’ll explore:
Where higher education is moving beyond teaching students to use AI toward developing new forms of disciplinary thinking and learning
Whether personalized AI could fundamentally change the faculty role—and what might be gained or lost in moving away from a focus on knowledge transfer
How AI is becoming part of the research process itself, from generating hypotheses to analyzing data and identifying new possibilities
Why compute, data and connectivity may become critical academic infrastructure—and what that means for institutions of all kinds
Can't attend the webcast? You should still register -- all registrants, including attendees and absentees, will receive a recording of the webcast and a copy of the presentation slides.
Wednesday, December 2, 2026 | 2 p.m. E.T.
Beyond Adoption: How AI Is Changing Learning and Discovery
SPEAKERS
Venu Govindaraju, Ph.D.
SUNY Distinguished Professor and Senior Vice President for Research, Innovation and Economic Development at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York
Dr. Venu Govindaraju is a SUNY distinguished professor and senior vice president for research, innovation and economic development at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York. With a prolific career spanning over three decades, Dr. Govindaraju has led research projects totaling nearly $100 million, holds six patents and has authored close to 500 refereed scientific papers. He is the principal investigator of the National AI Institute for Exceptional Education at UB, a prestigious $20 million initiative funded by the National Science Foundation and the Institute of Educational Sciences. Dr. Govindaraju is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), International Association for Pattern Recognition (IAPR), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and the National Academy of Inventors (NAI). In 2024, he received the University at Buffalo President’s Medal and was named Person of the Year by the Council of Heritage and Arts of India for his contributions to AI. In 2026, he published his first book of poetry, Discovery of Self, and has conducted multiple public and private readings of his work.
Sara Custer
Editor in Chief at Inside Higher Ed
Sara Custer became Inside Higher Ed's editor-in-chief in March 2024. Before joining Inside Higher Ed, she was editor of Times Higher Education's (THE) Campus, a collection of daily resources designed for higher education faculty and staff members to learn, share and connect with colleagues at universities and colleges worldwide. Prior to that, she shaped THE’s online presence as its digital editor, helping to launch THE’s newsletter strategy and overseeing daily, weekly and monthly publications. From 2012 to 2017, she served as editor and senior reporter at The PIE News, covering the international education industry. Sara grew up in Cushing, Okla., and earned a B.A. in English literature from Loyola University Chicago and an M.A. in international journalism from City, University of London.
Trey Conatser, Ph.D.
Assistant Provost for Teaching and Learning and Director of the Center for the Enhancement of Learning and Teaching (CELT) at the University of Kentucky (UK)
Dr. Trey Conatser works to advance and reimagine the teaching mission of higher education as the sector experiences a confluence of challenges and opportunities. At the University of Kentucky he leads the Center for the Enhancement of Learning and Teaching (CELT), which provides support, partnership and vision for the future of teaching and learning. His work and initiatives have focused on artificial intelligence in education: professional development, curricular design, teaching strategies, learning practices, student outcomes, policy/governance and ethics. Trey often presents to audiences within and outside academia about AI and has work forthcoming on teaching AI in the humanities and rhetoric in AI-focused educational development. He has a Ph.D. in English from The Ohio State University and is an affiliate in the Department of Writing, Rhetoric and Digital Studies at UK.
Emily Owen
Senior Consultant at Times Higher Education
Emily Owen is a senior consultant at Times Higher Education (THE) and has delivered a range of strategic projects for a global client base over the past three years. This has included universities, governments and corporate organizations in a number of countries, most recently including Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Ghana and the U.S. In the digital and AI sphere, Emily has contributed to the development and dissemination of THE’s AI & Digital Maturity Index (AI-DMI) – a global benchmarking tool allowing universities to measure, compare and contrast their progress in digital transformation. Emily holds a B.A. (Hons) in English Literature from Durham University and an M.Sc. in innovation, leadership and management at the University of York.
Colleen Flaherty
Senior Editor for Special Content at Inside Higher Ed
Colleen Flaherty, Senior Editor for Special Content, previously served as Student Voice Editor for Inside Higher Ed. Prior to joining the publication in 2012, Colleen was military editor at the Killeen Daily Herald, outside Fort Hood, Texas. Before that, she covered government and land use issues for the Greenwich Time and Hersam Acorn Newspapers in her home state of Connecticut. After graduating from McGill University in Montreal with a degree in English literature, Colleen taught English and English as a second language in public schools in the Bronx, New York. She earned her M.S.Ed. from City University of New York Lehman College as part of the New York City Teaching Fellows program.
LEADERSHIP REPORTS
Download and explore the leadership reports, "AI and Research Infrastructure in the U.S." and "AI Readiness in U.S. University Teaching and Learning" to get additional context ahead of the webcast.
One more leadership report will be released this fall, focused on connectivity, offering further analysis that will inform the webcast discussion.