Dr. Vivekanandan Kumar is Acting Dean of the Faculty of Science and Full Professor of Computing Science at Thompson Rivers University, BC, Canada.

Imagine a world in which software agents embedded across your digital devices learn alongside you – teaching, playing, studying, and mentoring – sparking curiosity, challenging ethical thinking, building trust, broadening global awareness, and enriching how you live and learn. His research focuses on the cognification of learning, teaching and research, exploring how artificial intelligence, learning analytics and cognitive agents can be used responsibly, ethically and for social benefit.

He earned his PhD in Computer Science from the University of Saskatchewan, Canada, graduating as the top student in 2001. He also holds a Master’s degree in Computer Applications (first rank) from Bharathiar University and a Bachelor’s degree in Physics (third rank) from PSGCAS, India. His professional career began in 1990 as a Scientist at the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC/NCST) in Mumbai, India, where he later received a United Nations fellowship to train at the Learning Research and Development Center at the University of Pittsburgh, USA.

In 2001, he joined Simon Fraser University in Surrey, Canada, as an Assistant Professor. During this time, he also served as an Educational Technologist with the Asian Development Bank, contributing to the development of online learning infrastructure and a Master’s program in Educational Technology for the Open University of Sri Lanka. From 2006 to 2008, he was a Senior Lecturer at Massey University in Wellington, New Zealand, before returning to Canada as an Associate Professor at Athabasca University. Supported by major grants from NSERC, SSHRC, and CFI, he has been an active contributor to the Artificial Intelligence in Education research community. He has authored an extensive body of scholarship and mentored more than 200 learners and researchers, ranging from undergraduate students to postdoctoral fellows. His work has maintained a sustained focus on advancing cognification in humans and machines, particularly in learning, teaching, and research. He is a Senior Member of IEEE and a member of AIED. His broader interests include humanity-plus futures, the knowledge economy, and social change through science fiction and storytelling. He brings extensive international academic and administrative experience, along with a leadership approach grounded in equity, diversity, inclusion, decolonization, and the thoughtful use of technology to advance education and broader social impact.