Research Areas

Diana Bairaktarova, Ph.D., Associate Professor (dibairak@vt.edu) 

• Learning environments,
• Factors impacting student performance (spatial and mechanical reasoning), 
• Creativity,
• Ethical and Empathic Design

Jenni Case, Ph.D., Professor (jencase@vt.edu)

• Student Learning in Engineering,
• Improving Teaching and Curriculum, 
• Research Methodology,
• Comparative Global Studies,
• Sociology of Engineering Education

Jake Grohs, Ph.D., Associate Professor (jrgrohs@vt.edu)

• Systems Thinking, 
• Problem Solving, 
• Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships, 
• Community Engagement & Collaboration, 
• Educational Environments & Systems

Andrew Katz, Ph.D., Assistant Professor (akatz4@vt.edu)

• Engineering Ethics, 
• Engineering Decision Making, 
• Faculty Development, 
• Engineering Education Systems, 
• Applications of Natural Language Processing, 
• Environmental Education in Engineering, 
• Mental Models of Sociotechnical Systems

David Knight, Ph.D., Associate Professor (dbknight@vt.edu)

• Educational Environments & Systems; 
• Pathways To, Through, & Beyond STEM Higher Ed;
• Intersection between Policy and Organizational Contexts;
• Organizational Change;
• International Engineering Education

Walter Lee, Ph.D., Associate Professor (walterl@vt.edu)

• Broadening Participation, 
• Co-Curricular Support, 
• Student Success, 
• STEM Learning Environments

Vinod Lohani, Ph.D., Professor (vlohani@vt.edu)

• Computer Supported Research & Learning Systems, 
• Personalized Learning Systems,
• Virtual Reality in Engineering Education, 
• Research Experiences for Undergraduates and Teachers, 
• Hydrology and Water Resources, 
• International Collaboration

Jeremi London, Ph.D., Assistant Professor (jslondon@vt.edu)

• Shrinking Time between Research Ideas and their Impact; 
• Linking Research and Practice in Engineering Education; 
• Broadening Participation in Engineering Education & the Workforce
  

Holly Matusovich, Ph.D., Professor (matushm@vt.edu)

• Graduate Student Experiences, 
• College & Career Choice Pathways, 
• Motivation in Teaching & Learning, 
• Leadership in Engineering Education

Lisa McNair, Ph.D., Professor (lmcnair@vt.edu)

• Integrative Curriculum Development & Evaluation; 
• Achieving Broader Impacts in Science, Engineering, Arts & Design; 
• Interdisciplinary Communications & Collaboration

Homero Murzi, Ph.D., Assistant Professor (hmurzi@vt.edu)

• Teaching & Learning,  
• Inclusive Culturally Responsive Pedagogy, 
• Latinx & Native American Experiences in Engineering, 
• International Engineering Education

Marie Paretti, Ph.D., Professor (mparetti@vt.edu)

• Engineering Identity, Diversity & Inclusion, 
• Communication & Teamwork, 
• Project-Based Learning, 
• Capstone Design Education, 
• Professional Engineering Work

Nicole Pitterson, Ph.D., Assistant Professor (npitters@vt.edu)

• Difficult Concepts in Engineering, 
• Promoting Collaboration through Active Learning, 
• Using Intentional Instructional Design to Promote Critical Thinking and Conceptual Understanding.

Bevlee Watford, Ph.D., Professor (deuce@vt.edu)

• Undergraduate Student Support Services, 
• Diversity