Northeastern University has appointed Susan Ambrose as vice provost for teaching and learning and professor of education. Ambrose, who will join Northeastern on Aug. 1, 2012, will coordinate the university’s continuous efforts to improve and assess teaching and learning.

“I am incredibly excited to be joining such a dynamic institution with a real commitment to education,” Ambrose said. “I look forward to working with administrators, faculty, staff and students to continue to evolve the innovative programs that support students’ learning and development.”

Ambrose is an internationally recognized scholar in college-level teaching and learning, who has offered seminars and workshops for faculty and administrators throughout the United States and in India, Canada, Mexico, Taiwan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore and Chile.

She comes to Northeastern from Carnegie Mellon University, where she is an associate provost for education and director of the Eberly Center for Teaching Excellence.

“Susan Ambrose will play a vital role in support of both our undergraduate educational initiative and the delivery of high-quality academic programs at our graduate campuses,” said Stephen W. Director, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs.

Ambrose earned her doctorate in American history from Carnegie Mellon and taught in the university’s history department, with a focus on immigration. In addition to directing the Eberly Center, her responsibilities at Carnegie Mellon have included conducting institutional research on learning and overseeing the Intercultural Communication Center and the Office of Academic Development.

Her research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education, the Lilly Endowment, the Carnegie Corporation of New York and the Eden Hall Foundation. Most recently she received funding from the Alcoa Foundation to study the faculty experience at Carnegie Mellon.

Ambrose has also published numerous chapters and journal articles, and several books including her latest co-authored book, “How Learning Works: 7 Research-Based Principles for Smart Teaching,” which was published by Jossey-Bass in 2010 and has been widely praised for integrating fundamental research in psychology and cognitive science with practical application.

Photo courtesy of Carnegie Mellon University.