Academic leadership
Leads teams, budgets, and service strategy across library, innovation, and instructional programs in a complex university environment.
Academic Innovation • AI Literacy • Digital Scholarship
Robert Laws
Associate Director of the Library, Georgetown University in Qatar
Associate Director of the Library and academic innovation leader focused on AI literacy, digital scholarship, data visualization, and technology-enabled learning in higher education. Robert Laws has spent 15+ years building scalable library, analytics, and innovation services that strengthen teaching, research, and campus operations.
15+
Years in higher education, library, and digital service leadership
AI + Data
Work spanning AI literacy, dashboards, analytics, and digital scholarship
Teaching
University courses, executive education, and pre-college AI instruction
About
Bridging academic service, data, and emerging technology
Robert Laws is a library and digital innovation leader whose work sits at the intersection of higher education, data, AI, and public-facing academic services. At Georgetown University in Qatar, he has led teams, launched an Innovation Lab, shaped AI training and governance conversations, taught university and executive courses, and built technology services that support students, faculty, and institutional decision-making. His background combines systems thinking, instructional design, analytics, web development, and digital media production, with a consistent focus on turning emerging technologies into sustainable, human-centered programs.
AI and data enablement
Builds practical AI literacy, dashboarding, and analytics capacity that helps staff, faculty, and students make better use of technology.
Teaching and program design
Designs credit-bearing courses, executive modules, and summer programs that connect digital tools to applied learning outcomes.
Experience
Building modern library, learning, and innovation services
Robert's career spans library systems, analytics, digital media, and service design, with the strongest recent emphasis on academic innovation at Georgetown University in Qatar.
2025-Present
Associate Director of the Library
Georgetown University in Qatar
Team leadership • AI workshops • Library strategy
- Managed a team of 7 staff and student associates, overseeing hiring, performance reviews, and workflow design.
- Partnered with library leadership on strategic planning, service prioritization, and operational decision-making.
- Delivered 14 AI workshops and briefings on LLMs, generative media, agentic AI, and productivity workflows.
- Oversaw an Innovation Lab serving roughly 150 unique students annually with an annual budget of about $100,000.
- Led the library's information literacy program, delivering 63 instruction sessions across 4 majors and 13 departments.
2022-2025
Data, Web, and Media Services Librarian
Georgetown University in Qatar
Innovation Lab • Platforms • Analytics
- Conceived and launched Georgetown University in Qatar's first Innovation Lab in 2023.
- Enabled data-informed decision-making across five administrative units, including the Dean's Office, HR, Facilities, Student Life, and the Library.
- Introduced Tableau-based space utilization analytics for campus facilities planning and staff reporting.
- Led website, Primo catalog, and LibGuides design, customization, deployment, and maintenance.
- Built a library research database for scholarly output using ReactJS and Firebase.
2008-2022
Technology and Innovation Librarian
Georgetown University in Qatar
Data visualization • Systems • Instruction
- Managed and analyzed operational data for library web services, LibGuides, and internal service points.
- Trained library staff on Tableau, Power BI, and Google Looker Studio for reporting and analysis.
- Designed and taught Introduction to Data Visualization, a credit-bearing course offered six times from 2020 to 2022.
- Served as primary administrator for the integrated library system from 2008 to 2016.
- Led emerging technology initiatives including RFID, Kindle lending, and early VR deployment.
2007-2008
Digital Services Librarian
Lauinger Library, Georgetown University
- Improved the online public access catalog using custom CSS and JavaScript.
- Contributed usability enhancements that strengthened discovery and patron access.
2004-2007
Technology and Systems Librarian
Fauquier County Public Libraries
- Maintained and updated the library's online public access catalog.
- Researched and implemented emerging technologies, including e-book readers and digitization initiatives.
- Coordinated with county IT on library systems and infrastructure.
Education
Degrees, formal study, and continuing development
Academic degrees
Master of Science, Information and Library Science
State University of New York at Buffalo • 2002-2004
Master of Arts, History
George Mason University • 1999-2001
Bachelor of Arts, History
George Mason University • 1994-1998
Certificates and microcredentials
Software Engineering Certificate
Flatiron School • 2019
Applied Artificial Intelligence Microcredential
Georgetown University • 2026
Tableau Desktop Specialist Certification
Tableau • 2021
Certificate for Higher Education Management
Georgetown University Center for Continuing and Professional Education • 2017
Skills
Technical, analytical, and program leadership capabilities
Leadership and service design
Academic innovation leadership
Cross-functional team management
Strategic planning
AI literacy programming
Workflow redesign
Budget oversight
Data and analytics
Python
R
Stata
Tableau
Power BI
Looker Studio
Dashboard design
Web and platforms
HTML
CSS
JavaScript
Git
WordPress
Drupal
ReactJS
Firebase
Primo and Alma
AI and digital media
AI-assisted coding workflows
Large language model applications
Midjourney
Suno
ElevenLabs
RunwayML
Adobe Audition
Final Cut Pro
Design, research, and instruction tools
Illustrator
InDesign
Omeka
VoiceThread
Canvas
Atlas.ti
Qualtrics
ArcGIS
Teaching and executive education
Instruction designed for students, professionals, and future leaders
University teaching
Adjunct teaching and course design at Georgetown University in Qatar, including recurring instruction in data visualization and emerging technology.
- Designed and taught Data Visualization and Dashboards nine times since Spring 2020.
- Taught Politics of Artificial Intelligence.
- Taught Learning to Learn: Human + AI.
- Taught Bridging Capitals: DC and Doha.
- Taught Principles of Computing and Information Technology at UCL Qatar.
Executive and pre-college programs
Applied training for finance professionals, work-readiness cohorts, and pre-college students exploring AI, analytics, and responsible digital practice.
- Designed and delivered five-day modules on Excel for Finance Professionals and Data Visualization and Analytics for Qatar Investment Authority cohorts.
- Guided capstone work in financial modeling and executive-ready dashboards using Excel and Power BI.
- Designed and taught a three-week AI Lab for 60 students in Georgetown's Pre-College Summer Program.
- Led a final project focused on AI literacy, bias evaluation, and responsible generative AI storytelling.
- Taught continuing education courses in web mapping, GIS, WordPress, digital publishing, and data visualization.
Professional engagement and publications
Selected talks, panels, and scholarly contributions
Selected engagements
- 2025 • IASAS Global Meeting, The Augmented Leader: Harnessing AI and Digital Tools to Transform Student Affairs Practice
- 2025 • Ooredoo Group ITU 160 Conference, panelist on the future of global connectivity
- 2025 • IASSIST Webinar, AI-Driven Data: From Raw Insights to Visual Mastery
- 2025 • GMUN '25 Symposium, Preparing for the AI Revolution: The Future of Learning in Higher Education
- 2024 • Qatar Science and Technology Park AI Week, panelist on ethical AI, bias, and fairness
- 2023 • IFLA World Library and Information Congress, session on AI, information, and digital literacy
Publications
The Intersection of AI, Information, and Digital Literacy: Harnessing ChatGPT and Other Generative Tools to Enhance Teaching and Learning
World Library and Information Congress (WLIC) • May 2023
Teaching a One-Credit Course on Data Literacy and Data Visualization
Journal of Information Literacy • January 2021
Additional presentations, workshops, and publications are available in the resume PDF.
Awards and honors
Recognition for digital innovation and institutional impact
Telly Awards Silver Winner
Immersive and Mixed Reality, Non-Scripted/Documentary for Georgetown's Slavery, Memory and Reconciliation Initiative (2022).
Telly Awards Bronze Winner
Immersive and Mixed Reality, Use of 360 for Georgetown's Slavery, Memory and Reconciliation Initiative (2022).
President's Excellence Award
Received Georgetown University President's Excellence Award in 2019.
Student recognition
Voted Staff Member of the Year by students in 2016 and 2018.
Contact
Open to conversation about AI, data, teaching, and institutional innovation
Reach out for collaboration, speaking, academic partnerships, teaching opportunities, or questions about digital innovation in higher education.
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