Abhay Joshi, PhD, accomplished data science leader, has been named Emory University’s associate vice provost for university data, effective March 1, 2024. Joshi brings a wealth of experience in data science, advanced analytics and strategic leadership for both higher education and industry.
In this role, Joshi will serve as the senior university executive responsible for supporting the effective use of student, faculty, academic and administrative data across Emory University. This includes overseeing the implementation of an enterprise data strategy that will maximize the value of Emory’s data assets to achieve strategic goals.
“Emory University data is a key resource, and it is essential that we approach this resource from a united governance model,” says Lanny Liebeskind, senior vice provost for academic affairs. “Dr. Joshi will be instrumental in setting and implementing policies that elevate our operations and identifying innovative and responsible data usage methods for the benefit of the enterprise as a whole."
Joshi will report to Joe Depa, chief data and AI officer for Emory University and Emory Healthcare, and John Ellis, interim enterprise chief information officer and senior vice provost for information technology. Joshi will partner with academic leaders across the university and will work closely with schools and Office of the Provost leadership to support the academic mission. Joshi will also partner with university data stewards, analysts and IT professionals responsible for data warehousing and reporting to build a culture of trust and shared responsibility for university data.
“Dr. Joshi’s experience in data management and governance, products and solutions development and building and scaling high-performing teams will be instrumental in improving the faculty and student experience and advancing Emory’s mission,” says Depa. “His leadership skills and business acumen will be tremendous assets to our overarching data strategy and organizational goals.”
Prior to joining Emory, Joshi served as the director of analytics in the Office of Analytics and Institutional Effectiveness at Virginia Tech. In this role, he provided expert guidance and strategic direction for the institution’s data and analytics processes and data strategies. He was a driving force behind the operationalization of a well-governed, centralized analytics platform, an initiative that transformed the institution's decision-making processes.
Joshi received his master’s and doctoral degrees in operations research (industrial engineering) from the University at Buffalo, The State University of New York (SUNY). He received his bachelor’s degree in industrial and production engineering from Karnataka University in India. He has presented at numerous professional conferences for higher education administration on a broad set of data-related topics, including building cross-institutional data collaborations and high-functioning data science teams, integrated data analytics, predictive intelligence, big-data architectures and ecosystems and faculty activity information management.