Jeremi London has been named assistant provost of academic opportunity and belonging in the Office of Undergraduate Education, Vice Provost Tiffiny Tung announced today. London also joins the Vanderbilt University School of Engineering as associate professor of the practice in mechanical engineering. Her first day was Jan. 29.
“This new leadership role in the Office of Undergraduate Education underscores our commitment to Vanderbilt’s vision of increasing access and opportunities for all students,” Tung said. “The important work by Dr. London and colleagues will enhance opportunities to foster intellectual and personal growth and expand our students’ capacities to imagine what they can achieve. We want to empower students to realize their full potential and help others to achieve, thereby contributing to a more inclusive future.”
In her assistant provost role, London will develop and oversee programs that broaden undergraduate students’ access to academic opportunities. She will direct the Posse Scholars Program, Summer Catalyst and First-Generation student groups and seek grant support for these programs and related initiatives. She will report directly to Tung.
London comes to Vanderbilt from Virginia Tech, where she was associate professor of engineering education. She brings a strong commitment to providing academic opportunities to underrepresented groups, extensive experience in mentoring and advising, and a history of impactful work focused on student success. She and her VT collaborators received more than $11.5 million in external funding to develop and support initiatives that expand academic opportunities for diverse groups of students.
Krishnendu “Krish” Roy, Bruce and Bridgitt Evans Dean of Engineering, said London’s experience makes her an ideal match for the dual appointment.
“The School of Engineering is incredibly pleased to welcome Professor London to our faculty,” said Roy. “She brings deep expertise in engineering education, as well as an impressive grant record including the prestigious CAREER grant. We look forward to supporting her innovative approaches to research and teaching, benefiting students both within and beyond the classroom.”
London is excited for this new opportunity to link her research and practice at an institution that aligns with her values of impact, excellence and people, and to “pay forward” the incredible support she has received from academic and professional mentors since beginning her studies as a first-generation college student.
“As the assistant provost for academic opportunity and belonging, I will weave my perspective, scholarship and insights from the students under my care into impactful mentoring moments, advocacy on behalf of those without a seat at the proverbial table, and quietly leading programs that produce compelling results,” London said. “Ultimately, I wish to see every student at Vanderbilt thrive personally, academically, socially and professionally, and I look forward to the role I’ll play in making this a reality.”
In her assistant provost role, London joins Rosevelt Noble, associate dean of equity, diversity and inclusion in the division of Student Affairs, and Jermaine Soto, senior director for faculty advancement in the Office of Faculty Development, in the Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging Collaborative, a new, distributed model for supporting the university’s commitment to EDIB across all areas of the institution.
London was awarded a highly competitive Faculty Early Career Development grant from the National Science Foundation in 2021 to further her research on organizational changes that promote equitable outcomes. Her CAREER Award-winning work, titled “Disrupting the Status Quo Regarding Who Gets to be an Engineer,” includes an analysis of what’s in the “secret sauce” of five colleges of engineering that consistently produce the most Black and brown engineers. The research is being translated into a toolkit for administrators who are interested in achieving similar results at their institutions.
In 2021–22, London served as chair of the Commission for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion within the American Society for Engineering, working to unite faculty, staff and students across engineering disciplines in professional development, community building and advocacy work. London earned her Ph.D. in engineering education from Purdue University in 2014.