ali shiri

Vice-Dean

Ali Shiri is a professor and vice-dean, Faculty of Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies (GPS), at the University of Alberta. He previously served as associate chair and graduate coordinator in the School of Library and Information Studies (2013-2020), where he led innovative initiatives including the development of an ePortfolio system and the expansion of a fully online graduate program. He later served as associate dean, GPS (2020-2021), leading initiatives such as the development of Ethics and Academic Citizenship courses for graduate students.

Ali received his PhD in Information Science from the University of Strathclyde Department of Computer and Information Sciences in Scotland in 2004. His research focuses on the intersection of technology, information and people, including digital information interaction and retrieval, digital cultural heritage, data and learning analytics and AI in research and higher education. He was a member of the U of A Provost'sTaskforce on Artificial Intelligence and the Learning Environment in 2023 and is currently co-chairing the AI in Teaching and Learning Committee at the U of A. In 2023, as chair of the Western Canadian Deans of Graduate Schools Working Group on Generative AI, he led the development of recommendations for graduate schools. Ali has spearheaded several AI literacy initiatives for GPS and has published and presented on AI literacy, AI in universities, academic integrity and generative AI and the interdisciplinary applications of AI in research. His current SSHRC Insight Grant research project focuses on the design and development of cultural heritage digital libraries and digital storytelling systems and mobile applications for the Inuvialuit communities in Canada's Western Arctic.

Responsibilities as vice-dean

  • I serve as the GPS lead for the quality assurance review of graduate programs.
  • I provide advice and support on GPS’s data and digital initiatives.
  • I have the opportunity to work on a variety of collaborative digital transformation projects designed to improve the graduate student experience and to manage emergent issues. 
  • I represent GPS on several university-level committees, including the AI Steering Committee, AI in Teaching and Learning and Research Technology Steering Committee.

My advice to our graduate students:

Engage with AI thoughtfully and responsibly as part of your teaching and research practice. Enrich your graduate education through physical, social and intercultural activities and opportunities on campus. Explore diverse approaches, interdisciplinary methods and emerging digital tools and technologies — including AI — critically and creatively. Remember that innovation and creativity thrive at the intersection of subject domains, disciplines, cultures and ways of knowing.

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Professor, School of Library and Information Studies

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