IRIS S. DE LIS

I am a sociologist of higher education focused on how learning assessment, institutional governance, and campus cultures shape who is able to thrive in college—and who is systematically pushed to the margins. My work is grounded in equitable assessment and pedagogy, student and faculty success, and a deep commitment to higher education as an accessible public good in service of a democratic society.

As Assistant Director of Academic Testing Services at Portland State University, I lead efforts to redesign assessment systems so they are more accessible, trauma-informed, and growth-oriented. Through this role and my service in Faculty Senate, campus climate initiatives, and cross-campus collaborations, I help move PSU toward learning environments where rigor, care, and belonging are not in tension but mutually reinforcing.​

My doctoral research in Sociology examines the sociology of higher education and the redesign of learning assessment, building on a master’s degree in Educational Leadership and Policy and undergraduate work in Sexuality, Gender, and Queer Studies, the University Honors College, and the Spanish language. Across these spaces, I bridge theory and practice to support institutions in confronting structural inequality rather than simply managing its symptoms.

I also work at the intersection of technology, AI, and higher education, drawing on two decades in software and digital services, with much of that in an international, multilingual context. My focus is on critical, human-centered AI and academic integrity: helping institutions align AI use with ethics, accessibility, labor, and academic freedom—rather than treating “AI adoption” as a purely technical or efficiency problem.

Current projects include leading Academic Testing Services at PSU, co-leading a cross-institutional community of practice on student-centered grading, and developing the Growth-Oriented Assessment for Learning (GOAL) Framework to support more just, transparent, and relational approaches to learning assessment in higher education. I welcome conversations with institutions, networks, and funders interested in learning assessment redesign, justice-centered student and faculty success, and critical, futures-informed approaches to AI and socio-technical change in higher education.

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“When I dare to be powerful – to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid.”
— Audre Lorde