Laurence J. Jacobs is senior vice provost for Education and Learning (SVP-EL), He is working to elevate student success, education, and learning while also providing dedicated strategic leadership for graduate, postdoctoral, and undergraduate education through the direct supervision of administrative and support services provided by the offices of Undergraduate Education, Graduate and Postdoctoral Education, and the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL). He serves on the President’s Cabinet.

Previously, Jacobs served as professor and associate dean for Academic Affairs in Georgia Tech’s College of Engineering (COE). Since joining Tech’s faculty in 1988, he has served twice as interim dean for the College of Engineering. He is a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Jacobs has been a leader in undergraduate curricular reform that emphasizes multidisciplinary design, innovation, problem-based learning, and interdisciplinary minors. He was a champion for the establishment of CREATE-X plus four distinct, new student-run maker spaces.

Honors at Tech include his selection for the Georgia Tech Chapter of Sigma Xi Best Faculty Paper Award, the Freshman Partner of the Year Award for the Freshman Experience, and the Faculty Excellence Award from Women in Engineering. He received the ANAK Award given to a faculty member who has demonstrated outstanding service to the Institute and the student body through teaching, research, advisement, and general involvement in campus life. Jacobs is a recipient of the Class of 1940 W. Roane Beard Outstanding Teacher Award.

Jacobs earned a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Lafayette College, an M.S in Civil Engineering from Polytechnic Institute of New York, and a Ph.D. in Engineering Mechanics from Columbia University. Prior to joining Georgia Tech, he worked as a staff engineer for Grumman Aerospace Corporation, and as a structural engineer with Ammann & Whitney Consulting Engineers, both in New York.