Prabu David
Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs
Prabu David
Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs
Bio
Prabu David is Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs at Rochester Institute of Technology. As provost, he serves as the chief academic officer overseeing 11 colleges and 5 international campuses. Among other responsibilities, his office is responsible for academic affairs, faculty affairs, academic support programs, curriculum development and assessment, student retention and success initiatives, faculty and staff recruitment and retention.
His top leadership priority is to ensure the success of RIT students, staff through a shared sense of community. In addition, he is focused on the responsible integration of AI in teaching, research and co-curricular experiences. Other initiatives include strategic overseas partnerships, strengthening the university’s identity as a destination for creative technologists, and expanding the health sciences portfolio.
His current research focuses on human-centered AI and its interaction with ethics and trust. His recent publications examine facial recognition technology, algorithmic bias, AI governance, and privacy.
Previously, he was dean of the College of Communication Arts and Sciences at Michigan State University, where he expanded their research portfolio, implemented curriculum innovations, improved faculty and student success, increased diversity, and led the college to a top-10 international ranking in QS and top-3 position in Shanghai ranking.
His prior experiences include serving as associate dean of the Murrow College of Communication at Washington State University and as Director of Undergraduate Studies at the School of Communication at Ohio State University.
He earned his bachelor's degree in physics from Loyola College in Chennai, India, a master's degree in journalism from Ohio University and Ph.D. in Mass Communication from University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
Select Scholarship
Choung, H., David, P., Mahmud, H., & Norcutt, S. (2025). Fairness and Trust in AI
Decision-Making: The Role of Human Involvement and Outcome Favorability.
International Journal of Human–Computer Interaction, 1–21.
https://doi.org/10.1080/10447318.2025.2576634.
Xu, S., Jitkajornwanich, K., David, P., Park, H., Zhao, Y., Adu, J., & Chumthong, T.
(2024). A longitudinal examination of collaboration diversity among communication
scholars: 1990–2023. Journal of Communication, 74(6), 466–480.
https://doi.org/10.1093/joc/jqae037
Choung, H., David, P., & Ling, T.-W. (2024). Acceptance of AI-powered facial
recognition technology in surveillance scenarios: Role of trust, security, and privacy
perceptions. Technology in Society, 79, 102721.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techsoc.2024.102721
Choung, H., Seberger, J. S., & David, P. (2024). When AI is Perceived to Be Fairer than a Human: Understanding Perceptions of Algorithmic Decisions in a Job Application
Context. International Journal of Human–Computer Interaction, 40(22), 7451–7468.
https://doi.org/10.1080/10447318.2023.2266244
David, P., Choung, H., & Seberger, J. S. (2024). Who is responsible? US Public
perceptions of AI governance through the lenses of trust and ethics. Public
Understanding of Science, 33(5), 654-672.
https://doi.org/10.1177/09636625231224592
Sandler, M., Choung, H., Ross, A., & David, P. (2024). A Linguistic Comparison
Between Human and ChatGPT-Generated Conversations. In C. Wallraven, C.-L. Liu, & A. Ross (Eds.), Pattern Recognition and Artificial Intelligence (pp. 366–380). Springer Nature Singapore.
Seberger, J. S., Choung, H., Snyder, J., & David, P. (2024). Better Living Through
Creepy Technology? Exploring Tensions Between a Novel Class of Well-Being Apps
and Affective Discomfort in App Culture. Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction, 8(CSCW1), 22:1-22:39.
https://doi.org/10.1145/3637299
Choung, H., David, P., & Ross, A. (2023a). Trust and ethics in AI. AI & SOCIETY,
38(2), 733–745.
http://doi.org/10.1007/s00146-022-01473-4
Choung, H., David, P., & Ross, A. (2023b). Trust in AI and its role in the acceptance of
AI technologies. International Journal of Human–Computer Interaction, 39(9), 1727–1739
https://doi.org/10.1080/10447318.2022.2050543