Our Fellows
Kimia Akhavein, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow in the Simmons School of Education and Human Development
Southern Methodist University
Bio: Kimia is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Simmons School of Education and Human Development at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. She provides research support for a school-based math intervention aimed at improving fraction knowledge and math learning in upper elementary and middle school students. Kimia earned her Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in May 2024. Her dissertation, titled Investigating the links between parents’ math anxiety, parenting behaviors, and children’s math achievement and anxiety in middle childhood, examined the transmission of math anxiety via supportive and negative parenting behaviors during homework help. Kimia received a Dean’s Fellowship from the University of Nebraska Foundation to complete this work and was recognized by both the university and department for her contributions as a mentor to undergraduate psychology students. She also holds an M.A. in Developmental Psychology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a B.A. in Psychology from the University of California-Irvine.
Research Interests: Kimia’s research broadly focuses on the development of self-regulation skills (i.e., the skills that help children manage their attention, emotions, and behaviors) and mathematical skills throughout childhood and adolescence. Her first area of interest examines the unique contributions of executive functions for children’s math achievement, such as their problem-solving strategies and arithmetic fluency, and how classroom experiences shape executive function development. This work lends itself to studying correlational associations between executive functions and math achievement, laying the foundation for creating classroom interventions that target the cognitive skills necessary for academic success.
Kimia’s second line of research explores the role that adults, such as parents and educators, play in supporting children’s developmental outcomes. Much of her work examines how school- and teacher-level factors influence the classroom environment and children’s self-regulation skills and math achievement. She values the importance of providing effective professional development to teachers to strengthen their self-efficacy and classroom practices that will have cascading impacts on the classroom environment and children’s academic success, particularly in STEM domains.
To gain a deeper understanding of the cognitive and social predictors of children’s math achievement, Kimia incorporates multi-method measurement approaches, including parents’ and teachers’ reports, children’s self-reports, and direct assessments. She uses advanced statistical techniques, such as longitudinal structural equation modeling, to examine dynamic associations and academic trajectories. She values conducting impactful research that can be leveraged to inform practice, policy, and future intervention work.
Haider Ali Bhatti, PhD
NSF STEM Education Postdoctoral Research Fellow
University of California, Santa Cruz
Bio: As a child, Ali and his family immigrated to the United States from Pakistan and settled in Englewood, New Jersey. As a proud New Jerseyan, he earned his Bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences at Rutgers University–New Brunswick, followed by a Master’s degree in Biological Science Education at the Rutgers Graduate School of Education. After graduating, he taught high school biology and also worked at Khan Academy as a biology content creator. He then earned his PhD in Science and Math Education from UC Berkeley’s interdisciplinary SESAME program, where his dissertation focused on making undergraduate STEM education more inclusive, interpersonal, and interdisciplinary through Challenge-Based Learning. His doctoral work was co-advised by Professor Robert Full (Integrative Biology) and Professor Marcia Linn (Education), reflecting the truly interdisciplinary nature of his research. Ali is a practicing Muslim and firmly believes in the mutually reinforcing nature of Islam and science. In his free time, he loves watching and playing sports, so you can catch him on the basketball court missing wide open shots or turning off the TV in frustration as his favorite teams (Nets & Mets) maintain their mediocrity.
Research Interests: Ali’s research agenda advances a scientific approach to assessment in STEM education, developing rigorous measurement tools that capture both cognitive and affective dimensions of student learning. His framework centers on making STEM education more inclusive, interpersonal, and interdisciplinary—three essential dimensions for preparing students for future careers that don’t yet exist. Using established assessment methodologies like the Four Building Blocks framework alongside sophisticated psychometric approaches including Item Response Theory and Rasch modeling, he designs instruments that generate valid, reliable evidence of student growth in areas traditional assessments often miss. His dissertation research on a Bioinspired Design course demonstrated how Challenge-Based Learning significantly increased science identity and self-efficacy across diverse student populations from over 40 majors, even during the unprecedented challenges of COVID-19. This work identified specific pedagogical elements that foster science integration, providing actionable insights for course design across disciplines. He also developed and analyzed a novel measure of innovation skills self-efficacy, recognizing innovation as an increasingly essential capability demanded across all disciplines in our rapidly changing world. Through this innovation skills measurement, he shows how assessment can move beyond content knowledge to capture the development of crucial transferable skills needed for tomorrow’s workforce.
Ali is also interested in improving how demographic data is collected and analyzed in assessment instruments, particularly by challenging problematic panethnic groupings and acknowledging limitations of labels like “underrepresented minority” (URM). By advocating for data disaggregation and a more critically reflective understanding of what constitutes “underrepresentation” in STEM, his assessment approaches ensure research practices better showcase all student identities. This methodological focus reflects his commitment to assessment practices that not only measure progress but actively advance essential learning outcomes for all students.
In his current postdoctoral research at UC Santa Cruz with co-PIs Roxanne Beltran and Erika Zavaleta, Ali is investigating the impact of field-based learning experiences in biology on key student outcomes, examining both immediate effects and longitudinal patterns to better understand how field courses enhance persistence in STEM. By applying assessment principles sensitive to the unique qualities of field-based education, this work addresses a critical gap in understanding how experiential learning environments can transform students’ relationship with science. Through his comprehensive approach to assessment, Ali aims to transform educational evaluation into a powerful tool for creating optimal learning environments that better prepare all students to address complex global challenges.
Samantha (Sam) Brunhaver, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Engineering, Arizona State University
Bio: Samantha Brunhaver, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor and Graduate Chair of Engineering Programs in The Polytechnic School within the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University (ASU). In this role, she oversees the Engineering Master’s and Engineering Education Systems and Design Ph.D. programs on ASU’s Polytechnic campus. Her research focuses on engineering education, particularly at the undergraduate level, and engineering workforce development. A Massachusetts native, she earned her B.S. from Northeastern University and her M.S. and Ph.D. from Stanford University, all in mechanical engineering. Before graduate school, she worked in industry as an engineer at Boston Scientific and Procter & Gamble.
Research Interests: Dr. Brunhaver’s research bridges engineering education and workforce development to advance student success and professional preparation. She investigates (1) how students navigate engineering careers, focusing on institutional and mentorship support; (2) barriers to equitable access in engineering careers; and (3) the development of professional competencies for an evolving workforce. Using quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods, her work is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Kern Family Foundation. In 2019, she received an NSF CAREER Award to study adaptability in engineering students and early-career professionals. By integrating social science and engineering methodologies, she works to enhance engineering education and workplace environments for diverse learners and professionals.
Abby Boyd, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
University of Mississippi
Abby Boyd is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Mississippi. She was awarded her Ph.D. in 2023 in engineering and science education from Clemson University. Her dissertation focused on the pathways undergraduate science students took surrounding undergraduate research experiences. Her current work focuses on the incorporation of engaged learning experiences into STEM programs and the infusion of professional development opportunities into STEM curricula. She was part of the 2024 cohort of NARST recognized Early-career scholars. Outside of work, she enjoys long distance running, scary movies, and just about anything outdoors.
Jennifer Carhart, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Special Education, Rehabilitation & Counseling
California State University, San Bernardino
Bio: Dr. Jennifer Carhart is a first-generation Latina student and a native Spanish speaker. She is a proud graduate of both the California Community College and California State University (CSU) systems. She obtained an Associate of Arts (A.A.) degree in Geography from Santa Ana College and then transferred to California State University, Fullerton, to earn her Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Geography. She completed a Master of Science (M.S.) in Student Development and College Counseling and a Ph.D. in Higher Education at Azusa Pacific University. Currently, Jennifer Carhart is an Assistant Professor in the Master of Science in Counseling program within the Department of Special Education, Rehabilitation, and Counseling at the Watson College of Education. Her extensive background in counseling and student support services spans various settings, including non-profit organizations, community colleges, and four-year institutions before her time at California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB). Dr. Jennifer Carhart is dedicated to enhancing educational pathways for historically excluded groups in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine (STEMM). Through her research, teaching, and service, she strives to create equitable opportunities and eliminate systemic barriers for underrepresented students.
Research Interests: Dr. Carhart studies racially minoritized and underrepresented students who are pursuing careers in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) and medicine (STEMM). Her research investigates the practices and policies of higher education institutions, educators, practitioners, and counselors that create barriers to or facilitate access to terminal degrees in higher-ranking STEMM career pathways for students of color.
Using a Critical Quantitative perspective, she employs advanced quantitative methods, including ANOVA, correlation, multiple and logistic regression, Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), and geographic information systems. Her work aims to use data as a tool for promoting equity and to counter how data has historically perpetuated systemic oppression.
Ryan Creps, Ph.D.
Ryan Creps recently completed his PhD in Higher Education at Boston College and will be joining the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy at the University at Buffalo as an Assistant Professor. Prior to earning his PhD, Ryan worked for several years as an admission officer at Brown University. He earned an M.Ed. in Higher Education at Providence College and a B.A. in Economics at Grinnell College.
His research interests center on the college admissions process and enrollment trends. He studies their role in shaping access to STEM education, particularly for underrepresented groups such as women, students of color, low-income students, and students from rural communities. His recent works include an evaluation of undergraduate student outcomes in a third-party supplemental computer science program, an analysis of the influence of geographic differences in high school math curricula on college choice and postsecondary math remediation, and an examination of enrollment outcomes at two-year technical colleges after introducing bachelor’s degrees.
Dr. Kirsten Davis
Bio: Dr. Kirsten Davis is an Assistant Professor of Engineering Education at Purdue University. Her research explores the design and assessment of global engineering programs, student development through experiential learning, and approaches for teaching and assessing systems thinking skills. Dr. Davis’s research is informed by her professional experiences working as an engineer at General Electric and as a study abroad program leader. Across her research projects, Dr. Davis seeks to connect educational research to educational practice and employs a variety of quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods approaches. Dr. Davis holds a B.S. in Engineering & Management from Clarkson University and an M.A.Ed. in Higher Education, M.S. in Systems Engineering, and Ph.D. in Engineering Education, all from Virginia Tech.
Research Interests: Dr. Davis’s research group studies ways to prepare engineering students for success in identifying and solving real engineering problems in real work environments. Within this broader goal, our work falls into three categories: 1) Designing and assessing different types of global engineering programs to better understand global engineering competency and its development in students and engineers. 2) Exploring student experiences, learning, and development through experiential learning opportunities (e.g., undergraduate research, internships, study abroad). 3) Developing innovative methods for teaching and assessing systems thinking skills in engineering courses, including exploring interdisciplinary pedagogical approaches.
Kristin Frady
Kristin Frady is an Associate Professor at Clemson University jointly appointed between the Educational and Organizational Leadership Development and Engineering and Science Education Departments. Her research focuses on innovations in workforce development at educational and career transitions. The context of her research emphasizes three primary areas specifically focusing on two-year college and secondary STEM and career education, educational innovations, and the middle skill workforce. Dr. Frady is or has served as Principal Investigator, Co-Principal Investigator, or Senior Personnel on six National Science Foundation, two Department of Labor, one Economic Development Agency, four state level, and three private foundation grants totaling over $6,000,000. Also, previously as Faculty Director for Clemson University Center for Workforce Development and the National Science Foundation Advanced Technological Education Center for Aviation and Automotive Technological Education using Virtual E-Schools (CA2VES), Dr. Frady led a team in the development of digital learning tools to expand technician education capacity creating virtual reality tools, advanced e-learning modules, and iBooks which have been utilized in secondary and post-secondary educational environments across the United States.
Dr. Jennifer Freeman
Bio: Dr. Jennifer Freeman is an Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership Policy in the College of Education at Texas Tech University. She earned her doctorate in Education Policy from the University of Pennsylvania, a master’s degree in Statistics and Data Science from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, and a bachelor’s degree in Zoology from the University of California, Santa Barbara. She was also awarded the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship for her work evaluating the impact of undergraduate research experiences on the educational and labor market outcomes of community college transfer students in STEM disciplines.
Research Interests: My research examines the connections between high school, higher education, and the workforce, focusing on students who take nontraditional pathways as they navigate these sectors in STEM fields. This research centers on students in high school career and technical education (CTE), community colleges, and those transferring to four-year institutions and explores whether access to STEM-focused CTE, institutional support programs, and high-impact practices can support their success. Additionally, my work explores the role of inclusive educational policies and practices in promoting more equitable outcomes for students with disabilities across the educational pipeline. This work explores how the design and delivery of special education, access to inclusive STEM programming, and the provision of institutional supports in higher education can dismantle systemic barriers that limit the educational and career trajectories of students with disabilities.
Krystal Grieger, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Research Fellow at North Dakota State University
Bio: Krystal Grieger is a postdoctoral research fellow at North Dakota State University (NDSU) after receiving the NSF STEM Education Individual Postdoctoral Research Fellowship. She is currently exploring the integration of green and sustainable chemistry (GSC) into the organic chemistry curriculum and its impact on student perceptions of the course with a particular emphasis on rural student perception. She obtained her PhD from NDSU in chemistry education in August 2024. Her PhD research was focused on developing both curricula to integrate GSC into the undergraduate organic chemistry course and assessments capable of measuring student knowledge of GSC.
Research Interests: Her current research interests include 1) developing curriculum and assessments for integrating green and sustainable chemistry (GSC) into the undergraduate organic chemistry course, 2) exploring student perceptions of organic chemistry with a particular emphasis on their achievement emotions, motivation, and attitudes towards the course, and 3) exploring how the integration of GSC impacts student perceptions of the course with a particular emphasis on rural student perceptions.
Dr. Stephanie Halmo
Dr. Stephanie Halmo is an assistant professor in the biology department at the University of Washington in Seattle. She received her undergraduate and doctorate degrees in biochemistry and molecular biology from the University of Georgia. Before attending graduate school, she taught middle school science in rural South Carolina. Stephanie recently completed a postdoctoral research associate position in discipline-based education research. In 2023, Stephanie received the National Science Foundation Building Capacity in STEM Education Research Individual Investigator Development Award. Her research focuses on enhancing undergraduate learning in the life sciences for all students and explores student thinking, particularly at the interface between problem solving and metacognition. Outside of research and teaching, Stephanie can be found in the dance studio, enjoying a bike ride, or solving puzzles.
Derek A. Houston
Derek A. Houston, PhD is Associate Professor of Educational Leadership at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. Dr. Houston teaches courses on the foundations of research methods and quantitative research methods in multiple graduate programs. He also supervises capstone research projects at both the master’s and doctoral levels. Dr. Houston joined SIUE in 2022 after spending one year with the Spencer Foundation and four years at the University of Oklahoma. He earned his PhD in Educational Policy Studies and a master’s in Applied Statistics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He currently serves as PI on an NSF / AERA sponsored research grant that focuses on teacher / student racial congruence among STEM teachers and students receiving special education services.
Centered at the nexus of critical theory and quantitative methods, Dr. Houston’s work engages with policy questions relative to inequality and inequity across the P-20 educational pipeline, advocating for a socially-liberating future. His most recent empirical scholarship takes a critical quantitative approach to understanding special education and education degree production. His most recent conceptual scholarship centers quantitative methods training and invites quantitative scholars into a space that challenges the norms and traditions of quantitative methods training. Additionally, his scholarship has focused on critically engaging the tools and processes of quantitative research.
Leonora (Lora) Kaldaras, PhD
Leonora (Lora) Kaldaras, PhD is an Assistant Professor in Blended and Personalized Learning at Texas Tech University College of Education. She received a dual degree in Curriculum, Instruction and Teacher Education (CITE) and Measurement and Quantitative Methods (MQM) from Michigan State University (MSU). Dr. Kaldaras was a postdoctoral research associate at MSU CRAETE for STEM Institute where she worked on developing learning progression (LP)-guided approaches for AI evaluation of complex skills and reasoning in introductory undergraduate and high school STEM courses. She also held a dual position as a visiting scholar at Stanford University Graduate School of Education and PhET Interactive Simulations Project (University of Colorado Boulder). As part of this appointment, Dr. Kaldaras worked with the founder PhET and a 2001 Physics Nobel Prize laureate Dr. Carl Wieman and the director of PhET Dr. Kathy Perkins. Her work focused on designing personalized learning experiences to foster development complex cognitive processes (e.g., math-science sensemaking, knowledge transfer) through self-guided learning strategies using PhET. Dr. Kaldaras is also co-PI on an NSF project (Award # 2200757) focused on developing LP-guided automatic formative feedback system for high school Physical Science using AI.
Her research aims to investigate ways to leverage AI to support learners from diverse backgrounds in developing complex cognitive skills related to knowledge application and mathematical reasoning across STEM domains. She is pursuing several research directions related to this goal. First, she is interested in exploring how AI can be used to help formulate cognition theories (such as learning progressions (LPs)) describing foundational cognitive processes of knowledge application and blended math-science sensemaking and facilitate the use of these theories to guide the learning process. Second, she is interested in studying how to leverage AI to guide the development of learning environments grounded in relevant cognition theories and supporting individual learners from diverse backgrounds in developing knowledge application and mathematical reasoning skills. Third, she is exploring how to meaningfully leverage the capabilities of AI in supporting teachers and learners during the learning process to facilitate the development of knowledge application using LP-guided personalized, AI-supported supports. Fourth, she studies bias and validity issues in AI-based scores on LP-aligned constructed response assessments measuring knowledge application in STEM.
Adam Kirn, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Engineering Education
Department of Electrical and Biomedical Engineering
College of Engineering
University of Nevada, Reno
Bio: Adam Kirn (He, Him, His) is an Associate Professor of Engineering Education at the University of Nevada, Reno. My disciplinary background is in biomedical engineering. I earned my PhD in Engineering and Science Education from Clemson University. I enjoy traveling, cooking, and all things outdoors.
Research Interests: My research interests center around creating tangible products that educators can use to foster equity in engineering student development ranging from K-12 to graduate learning environments. My Current Research projects are examining a) how ethno-racial trauma shapes engineering education experiences and b) how individuals in positions of power can bring in healing practices by default to create changes. My other research areas include the applications of mixed methods approaches to examine how engineering norms suppress student diversity of attitudes; how student motivations serve as signals of inequity in educational environments; and curricular innovations that foster identity development in K-12. Through the NSF SIARM for STEM Fellowship, I am interested in further exploring quantitative analytic methods that can be used to provide more robust data about social change efforts
Kristin Mansell, Ph.D.
Research Assistant Professor
College of Education
Texas Tech University
Bio: Dr. Kristin Mansell is a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at Texas Tech University. She earned her Ph.D. in Education Leadership and Policy from Texas Tech University, a M.Ed. in Secondary Science Education from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and a B.A. in Classics from the University of Alabama. Prior to her current position, she was a middle school science teacher for 19 years and a National Board Certified Teacher.
Research Interests: Dr. Mansell’s research broadly focuses on STEM education policy, the teacher labor market, increases in teacher self-efficacy through targeted professional learning communities, and the impact of blended learning and personalized learning on both student outcomes and teacher retention. She researches the implementation and effects of the Teacher Incentive Allotment in Texas, examining its role in attracting and retaining high-quality educators. In addition to her research, Dr. Mansell actively collaborates with school districts to provide evidence-based insights on professional development, teacher support, and innovative learning models aimed at improving equity in education. Through this fellowship, I am hoping to further develop my knowledge of quantitative methods in STEM education and incorporate advanced computation methods into my work.
Dr. Jason Morphew
Bio: Dr. Jason Morphew is an assistant professor at Purdue University in Engineering Education and serves as the director of undergraduate curriculum and advanced learning technologies for SCALE. Dr. Morphew is also affiliated with the Center for Advancing the Teaching and Learning of STEM and the INSPIRE research institute for Pre-College Engineering. Dr. Morphew’s research focuses on the application of principles of learning derived from cognitive science and the learning sciences to the design of technology-enhanced learning environments. Dr. Morphew has recently taught courses focused on engineering design, data analytics and modeling, introductory coding, integrated STEM, quantitative methods, and assessment. Professor Morphew’ s innovation in integrating microelectronics into engineering design and coding has been recognized with a number of teaching awards for his teaching in the First Year Engineering program. Dr. Morphew earned his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in Educational Psychology from the Cognitive Science of Teaching and Learning Division. His dissertation examined self-regulated learning of engineering students enrolled in introductory physics courses. While at Illinois, he collaborated on research with colleagues in engineering education, mechanical engineering, computer science, physics education, human and computer interactions, as well as educational psychology, the learning sciences, and curriculum and instruction. Prior to pursing his doctorate, Professor Morphew earned his master’s degree in Educational Psychology from Wichita State University where he also served as an instructor at Wichita Area Technical College in the math and chemistry departments. Prior to graduate school, Dr. Morphew taught math and science in middle school and high school where he combined scientific inquiry and engineering design to teach math and science.
Research Interests: Dr. Morphew’s research focuses on examining the development of students’ conceptual understanding in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses. His research examines the cognitive strategies students use when engaged in conceptual reasoning, mathematical and computational problem-solving, and engineering design within technology-enhanced learning environments. More specifically, Dr. Morphew’s research investigates the effects that interdisciplinary education and educational technologies have on student cognition, metacognition, and self-regulated learning; how to design interdisciplinary education and educational technologies to optimize student cognition; and the impact that integrated STEM curriculum on student learning, transfer, engagement, and interest. Dr. Morphew’s research spans both foundational and applied research to examine student cognition within STEM. His research builds on design principles to examine the impact of educational technologies on student learning, interest, engagement, and metacognition in STEM. Dr. Morphew uses his expertise on student cognition to develop and evaluate educational technologies that are based on how learning works rather than based on a particular technology. This means that Dr. Morphew’s research includes studying learning engineering, science, and math using technologies, such as augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), artificial intelligence (AI), and microcontrollers using constructivist and embodied learning theories. His research is highly interdisciplinary, and as such, Dr. Morphew has forged productive connections with scholars across many disciplines, including researchers from engineering education, physics education, chemistry education, geology, educational psychology, the learning sciences, curriculum and instruction, human and computer interactions, cognitive psychology, psychometrics, and developmental psychology among others.
Dr. Jayson Nissen
Dr. Jayson Nissen is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physics at Montana State University and the owner of Nissen Education Research and Design. Dr. Nissen uses quantitative methods and a critical framework to investigate racism, sexism, and classism in college science courses through the analyses of large datasets. His current work creates AI-powered, cognitive diagnostics to support STEM instructors using timely, formative assessment to inform their teaching. Dr. Nissen is the co-director of the LASSO platform, which supports STEM instructors assessing the efficacy of their courses for free. Dr. Nissen served on the Leadership Council of the Learning Assistant Alliance and has taught with Learning Assistants at Oregon State University and the University of Maine. His research also investigates the efficacy and impacts of the LA model nationally, uses the Experience Sampling Method to investigate students’ affective experiences, and develops resources to support students working in teams. He serves on the Statistical Methods Review Committee for the Physical Review Physics Education Research journal.
Soyoung Park, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Exceptional Student Education, School of Teacher Education
College of Community Innovation and Education
University of Central Florida
Bio: Soyoung Park is an assistant professor in Exceptional Student Education in the College of Community Innovation and Education at the University of Central Florida. She received her doctorate in special education with a concentration in learning disabilities and behavior disorders from the University of Texas at Austin. She specializes in developing evidence-based mathematics interventions to identify effective instructional strategies for students with learning disabilities. Dr. Park is the recipient of the 2024 Learning Disability Quarterly Must-Read Article Award by the Council for Learning Disabilities. Dr. Park also received a $1.25 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education Office of Special Education Programs for Preparing Special Education Teachers and Speech-Language Practitioners in Autism Spectrum Disorders at a Minority-Serving Institution, Project ASD-MSI.
Research Interests: Soyoung Park’s research centers on developing evidence-based mathematics interventions to identify effective instructional strategies for students with learning disabilities. Park also focuses on providing high-quality guidelines to both pre-service and in-service teachers to enhance their expertise in data-based individualization for mathematics intervention. Park aims to bridge the research-to-practice gap by integrating AI and virtual simulation to support personalized learning, creating innovative and interdisciplinary research programs.
Dr. Mallory Rice
Dr. Mallory Rice is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at California State University San Marcos. She is a biology education researcher with a background in marine ecology research. Broadly, the Research in Impactful Classroom Experiences (RICE) Lab investigates students’ experiences and perspectives in college science classrooms with the goal to make science more inclusive and equitable for all students.
Vanessa A. Sansone
Vanessa A. Sansone is an Associate Professor of Higher Education Administration in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA). Her areas of research interest focus on understanding college affordability, Hispanic-Serving Institutions, and power structures & governance on the trajectories, experiences, and opportunities of historically underserved students. Dr. Sansone’s empirical work has been presented at several national conferences and published in such outlets as the Review of Higher Education, Review of Educational Research, Teachers College of Record, and New Directions for Student Development Services. Additionally, she has contributed policy briefs, book chapters, book reviews and web-based writings.
In 2020, she was named as one of the 35 most outstanding women in higher education by Diverse: Issues in Higher Education magazine. She has been recognized by the American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education (AAHHE) and the Texas Association of Chicanos in Higher Education (TACHE) as a top Latina graduate scholar. She has also been nationally selected as a Faculty Fellow with the Rutgers Graduate School of Education’s Center for Minority Serving Institutions, Annie E. Casey Foundation, and the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Institute in Critical Quantitative, Computational, and Mixed Methodologies (ICQCM).
She currently serves as a Co-Director for the Alliance for Research on Regional Colleges (ARRC) and as a Co-PI on a National Science Foundation I-USE Hispanic-Serving Institutions Track 3: Institutional Transformation Project (ITP). She holds a Doctorate in Educational Leadership with an emphasis in Higher Education from UTSA, a Master of Education degree in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies with an emphasis in Higher Education Administration from UTSA, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from St. Mary’s University, San Antonio.
Prateek Shekhar
Assistant Professor, New Jersey Institute of Technology
Biography: Prateek Shekhar is an Assistant Professor and interim Coordinator of the Engineering Education Division in the School of Applied Engineering and Technology at Newark College of Engineering at the New Jersey Institute of Technology. Dr. Shekhar holds a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Texas – Austin, an MS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Southern California, and a BS in Electronics and Communication Engineering from India. He also holds a Graduate Certificate in Engineering Education from Virginia Tech. Prior to his current appointment, he worked as a Postdoctoral Researcher and Assistant Research Scientist at the University of Michigan. He has served in editorial capacity for the Journal of Women and Minorities in Science and Engineering and the International Journal of Mechanical Engineering Education, and Assistant Editor for the Journal of International Engineering Education. He is the recipient of the 2018 Outstanding Postdoctoral Researcher Award at the University of Michigan, the 2023 Saul K Fenster Innovation in Engineering Education award at New Jersey Institute of Technology, and multiple best paper awards at the American Society of Engineering Education annual conferences.
Research interests: Dr. Shekhar’s research focuses on translation of evidence-based instructional practices in engineering classrooms, faculty development, and entrepreneurship education in STEM fields. Dr. Shekhar currently serves as a PI/Co-PI on multiple projects funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, and Kern Family Foundation. His research is published in 24 journal articles and 36 peer-reviewed conference papers.
David Silverman
Bio: David Silverman is an incoming Assistant Professor at Yale University. He studies how common narratives about systemically marginalized people, including people from lower socioeconomic status backgrounds, contribute to various educational and economic inequities. Moreover, David’s research emphasizes the potential of working with schools, workplaces, and other focal societal contexts in order to shift these narratives in ways that recognize the valuable strengths that people gain as a direct factor of their otherwise marginalized identities.
Dina Verdín, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Engineering
Arizona State University
Bio: Dina Verdín, PhD is an Assistant Professor of Engineering in the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University. She received her BS in Industrial Systems Engineering from San José State University, an MS in Industrial Engineering and PhD in Engineering Education from Purdue University. Her work addresses the challenges Latinx, first-generation college students, and women in engineering face by focusing on two research strands: access and persistence. Dr. Verdín seeks to create culturally responsive opportunities that broaden engineering access while simultaneously dismantling the systemic obstacles that hinder minoritized students’ identity development and persistence. With this work, Dr. Verdín is committed to transforming engineering education and ensuring that all minoritized students can thrive. She currently has four active grants with the National Science Foundation aimed at supporting the mission of her research program. She has won several awards, including the 2022-2023 Outstanding Research Publication Award by the American Educational Research Association (AERA) Division I, the 2022 ASEE ERM Apprentice Faculty Grant, and the 2018 ASEE/IEEE Frontiers in Education Best Diversity Paper Award.
Research Interest: Dr. Verdín’s research focuses on issues related to access and persistence with the goal of broadening participation in engineering. She uses asset-based approaches to understand minoritized students’ lived experiences (i.e., including first-generation college and Latinx students). Specifically, she seeks to understand how first-generation college students and Latinx students author their identities as engineers and negotiate their multiple identities in the current culture of engineering. She also examines students’ Achievement Motivational Profiles, which is a multidimensional framework encompassing students’ beliefs, attitudes, identity-related factors, experiential and cultural knowledge (i.e., funds of knowledge, community cultural wealth), and social positions influencing students’ pathways to and through engineering.
Sirui Wan, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Research Associate, Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Bio: Sirui Wan is a Postdoctoral Research Associate in Psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He received his Ph.D. from the School of Education at the University of California, Irvine. His research focuses on understanding what influence people’s educational and career choices throughout childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood from the perspectives of psychology and educational policy. The ultimate goal of his research is to inform how to support youth, especially those from historically underrepresented and marginalized groups, in reaching their full potential. His work has been published in journals such as Psychological Bulletin, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Child Development, and Journal of Educational Psychology.
Research Interests: I have three main lines of research: (1) examining the development of students’ beliefs about their abilities (e.g., “Am I a math person?”) throughout K-12 education, (2) investigating patterns of change in students’ educational choices over time (e.g., switching from a STEM major to a non-STEM major during college), and (3) designing and evaluating motivation interventions to promote students’ persistence in STEM fields. Attending the NSF SIARM will provide me with valuable quantitative skills that will enhance my ability to conduct these projects—particularly in understanding the heterogeneity of motivation intervention effects and identifying the contexts in which these interventions are most effective (or ineffective). I look forward to connecting with and learning from colleagues in the program.
Stephanie Wettstein, Ph.D.
Professor, Chemical and Biological Engineering, Associate Director, Montana Engineering Education Research Center (MEERC)
Lead, Kern Entrepreneurial Education Network (KEEN) program
Montana State University
Professional Experience: Dr. Stephanie Wettstein is a Professor of Chemical Engineering at Montana State University, where she also serves as the Associate Director of the Montana Engineering Education Research Center and leads the MSU Kern Entrepreneurial Education Network (KEEN). She has been with Montana State University since 2012, progressing from Assistant Professor to her current role. Prior to joining MSU, she was a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the University of Wisconsin – Madison and earned her Ph.D. from the University of Colorado-Boulder in Chemical Engineering. Dr. Wettstein worked for three years at a large paper products company as a Process Engineer after earning her B.S. in Paper Science at the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point. Since 2019, she has received multiple accolades including being named a 2023 North American Membrane Society (NAMS) Education Innovation and KEEN Engineering Unleashed Fellow, and multiple teaching awards including the 2022 Society of Women Engineers (SWE) Emerging Engineering Educator Award, 2022 AIChE Separations Division Engineering Education and Outreach Award, 2022 Montana State University Innovation in Teaching Award, and the 2019 Norm Asbjornson College of Engineering Excellence in Teaching Award. Her education research has been funded through the NACOE Bryan grant fellowship and the IUSE, RFE, and DUE programs at the National Science Foundation.
Research Interests: Dr. Wettstein’s engineering education research emphasizes the importance of relevance and connection in engineering education, particularly through initiatives like entrepreneurial mindset (EM) activities and concept mapping interventions in the classroom. Her research focuses on assessing how different variables, such as students’ backgrounds, gender, and engagement levels, influence their sense of belonging and identity in chemical engineering. A recent research project focuses on the effectiveness of concept mapping as a tool for promoting equitable learning outcomes in engineering education. I look forward to participating as a SIARM fellow and the methodological training I receive to get a deeper understanding of my data and make a larger impact in the engineering education field.