AI in higher education
I'm Justin O'Brien, PhD—psychologist, AI consultant, and higher education specialist. I help universities navigate AI in teaching, assessment, student support, and recruitment with strategies grounded in measurement science and institutional reality.
How I work with institutions
From AI strategy and governance to assessment, academic integrity, and recruitment—practical, auditable solutions for institutional AI challenges.
Strategy & governance
Institution-wide AI strategies, policies, and operating models that balance innovation with risk management and regulatory compliance.
Assessment & integrity
Redesigning assessment, grading, and feedback to be robust to generative AI while preserving academic standards, fairness, and meaningful learning.
Recruitment & selection
Designing, auditing, and validating AI-enabled screening and candidate assessment systems for fairness, accuracy, and regulatory defensibility.
Universities in the UK are in financial trouble. Instead of individual cost-cutting that shrinks institutions, the sector could save billions through collective action and smarter revenue diversification.
I was made redundant 4 months ago today. Fast-forward four months: zero salary, zero job, and—rather paradoxically—a very busy diary. So what's it actually like, drifting through middle-age...
Calling a university's strategy its 'business model' is like calling the Royal Opera House a karaoke bar. Universities need a busyness model focused on public value, not just...
Easy
Medium
The Checker–Shadow (Adelson) illusion — a clear, layered explainer
Easy
Interactive
Overview
Let's get AI right in your institution
I work with academic, professional services, and leadership teams to turn AI possibilities into practical, auditable workflows for teaching, assessment, and recruitment. If you need a partner who speaks pedagogy and policy as well as models and metrics, let's talk.