Erik Jon Byker, Ph.D. is the Interim Associate Dean of the Honors College and a Full Professor at UNC Charlotte. In 2021, he founded and is the the co-Executive Director of the Global-ready Research and Equitable Education in Teaching (GREET) Center.  He also founded and hosted the TEDxCraverRoad Countdown for several years before joining the TEDxUNC Charlotte team. 

He is the Past-International President of Phi Beta Delta (PBD) Honor Society for International Scholars. In 2024, Erik was awarded the Bank of America Award for Teaching Excellence, which is the highest honor faculty at UNC Charlotte can receive. Erik received his Ph.D. in Curriculum, Teaching, and Educational Policy from Michigan State University and an M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Virginia. His research is comparative and international in scope and he has conducted field studies in Cuba, England, Germany, India, South Africa, South Korea, and across the United States. His research focuses on the development of Global AI Literacy and the Sustainable Development Goals.