Ayanna M. Howard

Roboticist, entrepreneur, and educator Ayanna Howard is the Dean of Engineering at The Ohio State University and Monte Ahuja Endowed Dean's Chair. Howard is also a professor in the college’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering with a joint appointment in Computer Science and Engineering. Previously she was the Linda J. and Mark C. Smith Endowed Chair in Bioengineering and Chair of the School of Interactive Computing at the Georgia Institute of Technology. She also served as the program director of the nation’s first multidisciplinary robotics PhD program; associate chair for faculty development in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering; and an associate director of research.

Howard’s research encompasses advancements in artificial intelligence (AI), assistive technologies, and robotics. She currently works on projects ranging from healthcare robots to developing methods to mitigate bias and trust in AI. Her career spans higher education, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and the private sector. She is the founder and president of the board of directors of Zyrobotics, a Georgia Tech spin-off company that develops mobile therapy and educational products for children with special needs.

As the 23rd dean of the College of Engineering at The Ohio State University, she is the first woman to lead the college. Throughout her career, Howard has been active in helping to diversify the engineering profession for women, underrepresented minorities, and individuals with disabilities.

Howard earned her bachelor’s degree in computer engineering from Brown University, her master’s degree and PhD in electrical engineering from the University of Southern California, and her MBA from Claremont Graduate University.