STEM Education Research Mentors
Rachael Barry
Associate Professor of Teaching
Email: rmbarry@uci.edu
Department: Molecular Biology & Biochemistry
Education Research Interests: Biology curriculum development, understanding and improvement of student-instructor relationships inside and outside of the classroom
Qualifications: Organized and able to manage time, committed to developing new research skills, able to work independently and in a team
Natascha Buswell
Associate Professor of Teaching
Email: Nbuswell@uci.edu
Department: Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Education Research Interests: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) among teaching methods in STEM classrooms with qualitative analysis
Qualifications: Interested in STEM equity and research, communicative and weekly reflections of their learning
Audrey Chen Lew
Associate Professor of Teaching
Email: Lewac@uci.edu
Department: Neurobiology and Behavior
Education Research Interests: Develop evidence-based neuroscience and biology core concept teaching tools; identify best instructor practices for delivering feedback on scientific writing.
Qualifications: Ability to take initiative, question assumptions & work well with others (required); interview skills, neuroscience coursework, quantitative coding, statistics, or academic writing (optional).
David Copp
Associate Professor of Teaching
Email: dcopp@uci.edu
Department: Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Education Research Interests: Engineering education: students’ persistence, self-efficacy, teamwork, and general learning strategies.with quantitative and qualitative approaches
Qualifications: Motivated to better understand and explore engineering student learning, some knowledge but not required of the following: statistical analysis, qualitative data collection and analysis, programming experience.
Pavan Kadandale
Professor of Teaching
Email: pavan.k@uci.edu
Department: Molecular Biology & Biochemistry
Education Research Interests: Critical thinking in large classrooms, create learning communities, decrease opportunity gaps
Qualifications: Curiosity about the world and problem solving skills, willing to learn and grow
Christine King
Associate Professor of Teaching
Email: kingce@uci.edu
Department: Biomedical Engineering
Education Research Interests: Engineering education for biomedical engineers and medical students, development of online program for clinical immersion with virtual reality medical procedures to identify unmet needs in healthcare through active learning techniques
Qualifications: Highly motivated students who are versed in computer science, video editing and/or gaming. Proficient in programming languages is preferred and experience using video editing software.
Star Lee
Assistant Professor of Teaching
Email: star.lee@uci.edu
Department: Developmental and Cell Biology
Education Research Interests: Integration of social issues to support students in STEM classrooms and teaching improvements for professional development among graduate teaching assistants
Qualifications: Interested in learning about science education research
Brian Sato
Professor of Teaching
Email: bsato@uci.edu
Department: Molecular Biology and Biochemistry
Education Research Interests: Faculty impact on colleagues and students in their department, identify programs and policies to support student success
Qualifications: Willing to take initiative, good teamwork and meet deadlines, have data expertise or taken social science courses but not required
Laura Tucker
Associate Professor of Teaching
Email: tucker@uci.edu
Department: Physics & Astronomy
Education Research Interests: Curriculum changes in physics courses, measure and improve student experiences in undergraduate science curriculum.
Qualifications: Desire to learn and contribute in team settings, passionate about improving student experiences, and dedicate time for projects and group meetings
Adrienne Williams
Associate Professor of Teaching
Email: adriw@uci.edu
Department: Developmental and Cell Biology
Education Research Interests: Student metacognition: effective study strategies
Qualifications: Motivated to improve student success in STEM, interested in designing small research projects and maintain progress
Jennifer Wong-Ma
Professor of Teaching
Email: jwongma@uci.edu
Department: Computer Science
Education Research Interests: Studying barriers to student success in CS majors; the role of generative AI to enhance teaching and learning; development of innovative instructional tools.
Qualifications: Interested in computer science education, programming experience, ability to take initiative and work in a team to deliver milestones.