Roderick Lee, Ph.D.

Dr. Roderick Lee holds a joint appointment as an Associate Professor of Information Systems in the School of Business Administration at Penn State Harrisburg and as an Associate Professor of Human-Centered Computing and Social Informatics Department within the College of Information Sciences and Technology at Penn State University Park. Additionally, he holds a courtesy appointment in the Higher Education Department within the College of Education. During the 2024–2025 academic year, he served as an Administrative Fellow to the Vice President for Commonwealth Campuses and Executive Chancellor at Penn State.

Roderick’s interdisciplinary scholarship integrates theoretical frameworks from the social and behavioral sciences with organizational change theories to critically examine and advance transformation and innovation within complex organizational settings. His current research focuses on three primary areas: (1) broadening participation in AI and computing education and the workforce; (2) fostering inclusive and equitable STEM learning environments that engage all students; and (3) advancing human-centered approaches to AI across various domains of practice. He actively contributes to the national discourse on AI education and the workforce through his involvement with the NSF Level UP AI initiative.

His research has been supported by the National Science Foundation, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Oracle Help Us Help Foundation, Penn State Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI), Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence at Penn State, the Office of Research and Outreach at Penn State Harrisburg, and the Penn State Africana Research Center.

 Roderick has served on numerous influential advisory bodies at Penn State, including the Select Presidential Commission on Racism, Bias, and Community Safety; the Office of the President’s special project on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging; and the American Talent Initiative/Association of Public and Land-grant Universities Powered by Publics Steering Committee.

He holds leadership roles as the inaugural Chair of The PhD Project Advisory Council, board member of The PhD Project Association, and serves on the Technology Council of Central Pennsylvania (TCCP) Board of Directors and the Association of Information Systems Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Standing Committee.

In recognition of his dedication to inclusive excellence, Roderick has earned several awards, including the TCCP Women in Technology Diversity and Inclusion Award (2020), Greater Harrisburg Area NAACP President’s Award (2021), The Conference for Women Agate Award (2023), and the Circle of Compadres distinction from The PhD Project Information Systems and Sciences Member Association (2024).