Jennifer Frederick has served as Yale University’s associate provost for academic initiatives since 2022. She is an expert in interdisciplinary and inclusive teaching practices in higher education and a widely respected university leader. She provides leadership for Yale on teaching and learning matters and shapes the strategic priorities of the Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning in alignment with university’s vision and mission
As founding executive director of the Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning in 2014, she has been instrumental in the Center’s creation and support of all aspects of student learning and faculty pedagogy. Her leadership of the Poorvu Center has also included building the Faculty Teaching Initiatives team, the Academic Strategies Program, and Educational Program Assessment service, and expanding to space in Poorvu North. Jenny oversees offices including an innovation center, the registrar’s office, and university financial aid. In 2024, Jenny participated in the Yale Taskforce on Artificial Intelligence to develop the institution’s AI priorities and make recommendations for investments to improve educational policy and provide curricular guidance. Building on that work, she now leads the university-wide effort to implement the Task Force’s recommendations.
Beyond Yale, Jenny served for many years as the principal investigator on an award from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute to support a national STEM faculty development initiative, the Summer Institutes on Scientific Teaching. She designs and leads mentorship training for Howard Hughes Medical Institute scientists and other organizations.
Jenny holds a BA in Chemistry from Cornell University and a PhD in chemistry from Yale. She held teaching and research-focused faculty positions at the University of Bridgeport and Western Connecticut State University before returning to Yale in 2007 to focus on educational development.