Author Biographies

John Baluyut is an Associate Professor and Chair in the Chemistry, Forensics, and Mathematics Department at the University of Providence, Great Falls, USA. He received a BS from the University of the Philippines Los Baños and a master's degree from the University of Connecticut, with an emphasis in organic chemistry. He then returned to the Philippines, where he taught pre-college chemistry, supervised laboratory staff, coordinated teaching lab activities, and helped new instructors with activities in the lab, including articulating learning outcomes in the teaching laboratory. He returned to the United States after several years teaching and matriculated at Iowa State University. At Iowa State he received a second master's degree in theoretical chemistry, and a PhD in chemistry education research with a focus on student problem solving strategy development and its measurement using eye-tracking tools.

Gautam Bhattacharyya received his BSc in Chemistry in 1992 from Brown University, USA, and his MA in organic chemistry from Harvard University in 1994 under the direction of Prof. E. J. Corey. After several years as a Teaching Fellow in the Department of Chemistry at Harvard, followed by a research fellowship in cellular and molecular physiology at the Joslin Diabetes Center, USA, he “saw the light” and turned to chemistry education research at Purdue University, where he earned his PhD degree in 2004 under the direction of Prof. George Bodner. After completing two years as an Instructor at the University of Oregon, and eight years as an Assistant Professor at Clemson University, he joined the Department of Chemistry at Missouri State University in 2014, where he is an Associate Professor.

Karolina Broman is Associate Professor in the Department of Science and Mathematics Education at Umeå University, Sweden, where she also holds the chair of the Education Committee in the Faculty of Science and Technology. She received her PhD degree in chemistry education in 2015 from Umeå University, where her thesis focused on context-based problem solving. Since then, she has continued exploring this field, and is also running projects studying different digital technologies, such as virtual and augmented reality (VR and AR), aiming at the visualization of chemical structures and mechanisms, and at the practice of spatial ability, with the Chemistry Department. She currently holds the vice chair of the “Division of Chemical Education” of EuChemS.

Natalie Capel obtained her PhD in organic chemistry from Loughborough University, UK, in 2015. She was appointed at Keele University, UK, in 2016 and is now a Lecturer in Chemical Sciences, teaching across chemistry and forensic science degree programmes. She has disseminated her experiences at a number of national higher education conferences, focusing on how introducing active learning to foundation year courses has led to increased student satisfaction and attainment. She is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, UK.

Markella Chatziapostolidou is an undergraduate chemistry student at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece.

Megan Connor obtained her bachelor's degree in chemistry from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and she is currently completing her doctoral degree in chemistry at the University of Michigan. She began her career as an analytical chemist, first working in the laboratory of a metal manufacturing company and then attending graduate school to conduct research in the fields of separation science and atmospheric chemistry. After one year of graduate studies, she began conducting chemistry education research with Professor Ginger Shultz. Her doctoral research has since focused on the teaching and learning of NMR spectroscopy. Her shift to education-focused research stems from her commitment to helping students from all backgrounds learn chemistry. She plans to continue to maintain this commitment and conduct chemistry education research after obtaining her doctoral degree.

Charlie Cox earned a PhD with Melanie Cooper at Clemson University in 2006. Charlie worked as a lecturer for 10 years at Stanford University, where he taught all levels of chemistry and coordinated TA training activities. In 2020, he moved back to North Carolina, his home state, and started a new position at Duke University as an Associate Professor of the Practice and Associate Director of Undergraduate Studies in Chemistry. At Duke, he manages chemical education research projects analyzing students’ longitudinal progress across the chemistry curriculum, with specific projects analyzing acid-base chemistry, chemical safety, kinetics and thermodynamics. In addition to the longitudinal study, Charlie's group has been focusing upon diversity and inclusion in STEM.

Alison Flynn is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences at the University of Ottawa, Canada. She is a 3M National Teaching Fellow, Canada's highest recognition for excellence in education at the post-secondary level, and a member of the Global Young Academy. Her work includes developing online learning tools as Open Education Resources to support student learning, including OrgChem101 and a Growth & Goals module. Her research group studies student learning in organic chemistry and the impacts of the Growth & Goals module. At the provincial level, she is a Director on eCampusOntario's Board. At the National level, she is the Canadian Society for Chemistry's Director of Accreditation and the inaugural Associate Editor for chemistry education research with the Canadian Journal of Chemistry. In all her work, she is committed to helping students succeed in their chosen careers and goals.

Herb Fynewever is a Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Calvin University, Grand Rapids, Michigan. After receiving his doctorate in physical chemistry at the University of Wisconsin – Madison, his research interests turned to science education, with a focus on the role that culture plays in how science is taught. He has previously served on the faculty at California State Polytechnic University – Pomona, Western Michigan University, and as a Fulbright Scholar at Kathmandu University, Nepal. Through his research program he has mentored approximately thirty students at the bachelors, masters, and doctoral level. Together with collaborators, he has been awarded funding from the National Science Foundation, the US Department of State, and the Michigan Department of Education.

Dimitrios Gavril is an Assistant Professor at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece, and the holder of a PhD in physical chemistry. He is the author of 45 papers related to measurements of physicochemical parameters by novel chromatographic methods. Over the past fifteen years, he has collaborated with the Hellenic Open University, to utilize distant learning methodologies in undergraduate and postgraduate courses. He has authored more than 450 pages of printed teaching material and also prepared webcast presentations and interactive digital material for the laboratory practice of Open University students.

Nicole Graulich is an Associate Professor of Chemistry Education at the Justus-Liebig-University, Giessen, Germany, and director of the Institute of Chemistry Education. She studied French and Chemistry for the Teaching Profession, received her PhD in 2007 in organic chemistry, under the supervision of Prof. Peter Schreiner, and was awarded a post-doctoral fellowship by the German Research Foundation. She teaches primarily in undergraduate chemistry education modules for both pre-service high school and elementary student teachers. The current research of her group focuses on investigating instructional designs that influence meaningful learning in organic chemistry, by elucidating students’ perception of organic representations with new technologies and the nature of mechanistic reasoning. In 2016, she received the prestigious Ars legendi award for teaching excellence. Since 2019, she has been an Associate Editor for the journal Chemistry Education Research and Practice.

Ozcan Gulacan is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of California, Davis. He obtained a master's degree in physical chemistry in 1999 and a PhD in science education in 2007. Since then, he has designed and taught several graduate and undergraduate chemistry and science education courses for a diverse group of students at different institutions. In his current position, he primarily teaches general chemistry courses and first-year seminars to introduce chemistry education research and the UN Sustainable Development Goals to undergraduates. His main research interests revolve around exploring interactions between cognitive and affective domains in the context of socio-scientific issues, sustainability, problem solving, and knowledge structures. Besides teaching and running research projects, he has also developed and organized workshops on implementation of social constructivist methods and effective use of technological tools in science classrooms for high school teachers and professors.

Laura Hancock is a Lecturer in Chemistry at Keele University, UK. She obtained her MChem degree and DPhil in supramolecular chemistry from Oxford University, UK, and an MA in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education from Keele University. She is particularly interested in developing authentic assessment and student engagement, and is passionate about the use of Team Based Learning to promote active learning. In 2016, she jointly won a Keele Teaching Excellence Award for improving the learning experience and outcomes for first and second year organic chemistry students. She is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, UK.

Ian Hawkins is the Chairman of the Department of Arts and Sciences and the Science Program Coordinator at Welch College, USA. He has bachelor's degrees in both chemistry and biochemistry from East Carolina University, a master's degree from Vanderbilt University in molecular biology, and a doctorate degree from Middle Tennessee State University in chemistry education. He has been teaching for over 11 years at both Welch College and Cumberland University, USA.

Thomas Holme is a Morrill Professor in the Chemistry Department at Iowa State University. He received a BS in chemistry and physics from Loras College, USA, and his PhD from Rice University, USA, studying theoretical chemistry. He held postdoctoral appointments at Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and the University of Pennsylvania. He began his teaching career as a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Zambia, followed by appointments at the University of South Dakota and the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee, prior to his current appointment at Iowa State University. He served as the Director of the ACS Examinations Institute from 2002 – 2015, and currently serves as the Editor in Chief of the Journal of Chemical Education. His research group pursues interests in assessing student understanding of chemistry, incorporating systems thinking approaches in the development of chemistry curricula and exploring how human-computer interaction plays a role in technology enhanced student activities in the chemistry classroom.

Chloe Howe is a Lecturer in Chemical Sciences at Keele University, UK, where she started in 2009, after graduating from the University of Liverpool, UK, with a BSc in Chemistry. She has led the foundation year chemistry course at Keele, where she has effectively used Team Based Learning in combination with other active learning techniques to enhance student satisfaction and attainment. She has been a fellow of the Higher Education Academy, UK, since 2012, and is a founding member of the Keele Centre for Team Based Learning.

Vichuda Hunter is an Instructor of Chemistry. She received her BA degree in chemistry and her MA in curriculum and development from the University of Mississippi. She spent five years teaching chemistry and physical science at Northwest Mississippi Community College, and two of the summers teaching chemistry for the Higher Opportunity Program at Columbia Engineering – Columbia University in New York. She began teaching at Cumberland University, USA, in the Fall of 2017 as an adjunct faculty in the Biochemistry Department and became a full-time faculty member in the Fall of 2018. Before coming to Cumberland University, she spent 13 years in an analytical laboratory working in various capacities: as a quality control chemist, analytical chemist, senior chemist, organic laboratory supervisor, and the laboratory manager. She worked with the routine analysis using EPA procedures as well as non-routine analysis, special projects, research projects and setting up new testing methods. With her background in the laboratory, she has a special interest in a teaching and learning in the laboratory and continues to pursue her doctoral degree in the Math and Science program with an emphasis on Chemistry at Middle Tennessee State University.

Nicholas P. Hux earned a BSc in Biology (2020) at Purdue University. He is currently pursuing his doctorate in allopathic medicine at the Indiana University School of Medicine, with an interest in surgery. His research interests stem from a desire to improve academic curricula to benefit student learning. He intends to further pursue educational research while in medical school, with the goal of improving students’ medical education and training.

Graeme Jones is a Senior Lecturer in Chemistry at Keele University, UK. His career has spanned: research, with over 50 publications in organic chemistry and chemical ecology; public science, with the BA Lord Kelvin Award, a NESTA Dreamtime Fellowship, and a Guinness World Record for the largest model of DNA, to name a few; and teaching, with particular interest in Safety Training for Undergraduates and Team-Based Learning. He is currently Treasurer of the European Team-Based Learning Consortium. In 2001 he won the Royal Society of Chemistry National Higher Education Teaching Award.

Axel Langner is currently a graduate research assistant in the Institute of Chemical Education at the Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Germany. He graduated in fall 2020 with his first state examination for teaching chemistry and biology at the high school level. Previously, he received a BSc in biotechnology and biopharmaceutical technology from the University of Applied Sciences in Giessen, worked part-time as a science teacher for chemistry and biology in secondary education, and as an engineer and researcher in the field of life sciences. His current research interest focuses on digitalization in chemistry education and eye-tracking based research methods to investigate students’ perceptual and conceptual processing of structural representations in organic chemistry. He also participated in various nation-wide initiatives on innovation in chemistry education and university teaching.

Maria Limniou is a Lecturer in Digital Education and Innovation at the University of Liverpool, UK, and Senior Fellow of the UK Advance Higher Education. Her research interests include the influence of technology on the teaching and learning process inside and outside class environments. In her most recent journal publications, she discusses the curriculum design process and the influence of technology on teaching and learning, especially under the perspectives of how people learn, how people can be facilitated to learn, and how technology design assist people to learn.

Nikos Papadopoulos is a Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece. His main research interests include chemistry education and applications of information and communication technology in chemistry.

Amy J. Phelps is a Professor of Chemistry at Middle Tennessee State University, and the co-director of the MTeach program, which prepares mathematics and science majors for careers as secondary teachers. She earned her bachelor's degree in chemistry and mathematics from Berry College, USA, a master's degree in chemistry from Purdue University, and a PhD in Curriculum and Instruction (chemistry education emphasis) from Purdue University working with J. D. Herron and George Bodner. She has enjoyed explaining qualitative methods and data to chemists throughout her career. Her research interests center around understanding the culture of chemistry classrooms to better understand teaching and learning chemistry with focuses on misconceptions, problem solving and assessment. She has now been teaching chemistry for over 30 years.

Sven J. Philips earned a Bachelor of Science in Cellular, Molecular, Developmental Biology (2020) at Purdue University. His research interests involve gaining insight into the understanding of introductory material biochemistry that students will use throughout their undergraduate education. His interests focus particularly on how students combine biochemical knowledge with mathematics to analyze and interpret data. His goal is to identify strategies that will facilitate the development and retention of foundational introductory topics.

Tess Phillips is a Lecturer in Chemistry at Keele University, UK. With a background in medicinal chemistry, she teaches various aspects of organic synthesis, drug design and medicinal chemistry at undergraduate level. Her teaching interests include the use of teamwork and technology in developing teaching/learning activities and assessments which are both authentic and engaging. She is an enthusiastic advocate of team-based learning (TBL) and active learning, and is a fellow of the Higher Education Academy, UK.

Daniela Plana is a Lecturer in Chemical and Physical Sciences at Keele University, UK. She has a chemistry degree from the Universidad Simón Bolívar, Venezuela, a PhD in physical chemistry from the University of Manchester, UK, and an MA in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education from Keele University. Since working at Keele, Daniela has become involved in chemistry education research, with particular interests in international students, transnational education, team-based learning, feedback and the use of technology for teaching. She is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, UK.

Jack Polifka is both a systems analyst and a graduate student at Iowa State University. He received a BS in Web and Digital Media Development from the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point and after several years working in industry returned to school and received a master's degree from the Human Computer Interaction (HCI) Graduate Program at Iowa State University. His work in HCI has focused on investigation of student use of computer interfaces for the flexible use of representations commonly encountered in science classes. Initial work focused on molecular representations in chemistry and more recent studies have turned attention to representations used in geosciences. He has published several articles on dynamic programing methods and interfaces for enhanced web pages.

Jon-Marc G. Rodriguez earned a BS in Pharmacological Chemistry and an MS in Chemistry at UC San Diego. He earned a PhD in Chemistry at Purdue University (2019), with his doctoral work emphasizing students’ graphical reasoning in enzyme kinetics. His research interests are situated at the interface between chemistry and mathematics, with the goal of learning more about students’ reasoning to provide insight into how we can improve chemistry instruction and curriculum development. His research interests have led him to take an interdisciplinary approach toward research, focusing on the learning challenges shared across disciplines. He is currently working as a postdoctoral research scholar at the University of Iowa, investigating how to support students in using mathematical representations as explanatory and descriptive tools.

Michael J. Sanger is a Professor of Chemistry at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU). He received his PhD in Chemistry and Education from Iowa State University. His research group has performed research studies aimed at probing students’ conceptual understanding of chemistry, identifying student misconceptions, and testing instructional methods to improve students’ conceptual knowledge. These research studies often focus on evaluating students’ particulate-level chemistry knowledge through the use of static pictures, dynamic computer animations, and electron density plots. Results of these research studies have been published in many major chemistry and science education journals. He has served on the ACS Committee for Computers in Chemical Education, has chaired the ACS Committee on Chemical Education Research, and served as a feature editor for the chemical education research section of the Journal of Chemical Education. He has received two teaching awards (Award for Innovative Excellence in Teaching, Learning and Technology and the MTSU Foundation Award for Outstanding Achievement in Instructional Technology) and one research award (MTSU Foundation Distinguished Research Award) for his work at MTSU.

Ginger Shultz is an Assistant Professor of Chemistry at the University of Michigan (UM). She completed her doctoral degree in polymer chemistry at the University of Oregon before transitioning to education-focused research through the UM President's Postdoctoral Fellow Program. Her science education research program focuses on writing-to-learn pedagogies, knowledge for teaching college level chemistry, and reasoning in chemistry.

Michael P. Sigalas is Professor of Quantum and Computational Chemistry in the Department of Chemistry at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece, where he currently serves as Director of the corresponding laboratory and also as Director of the “Molecular Modeling” and “Chemical Education and Information and Communication Technologies” MSc programs. He received his BS in Chemistry Degree in 1980 and his PhD in 1984 from the Department of Chemistry of Aristotle University. His research interests are divided between, on the one hand, the applications of quantum and computational chemistry methods for the study of the molecular structure and properties, and, on the other hand, the development of educational software and the application and assessment of information and communication technologies in both secondary and tertiary chemistry education.

Dimitrios Stamovlasis is an Associate Professor of Research Methodology and Applied Statistics in the Department of Philosophy and Education at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece. His research interests focus on methodological and epistemological issues concerning the development of theory in psychology and behavioral sciences. Specific domains of interest include mental models, students’ representations, conceptual understanding, problem solving and group dynamics. He has a special interest in the application of multivariate statistical modelling, factor and cluster analysis, structural equation modeling (SEM) and latent class analysis (LCA).

Vicente Talanquer is a University Distinguished Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Arizona. His research focuses on undergraduate chemistry education. He has published over 130 peer reviewed and invited papers, where he has explored the conceptual difficulties that students face when learning chemistry and the effect of different teaching strategies on student understanding. He has also investigated prospective science teachers’ reasoning and practices and has applied the results of his educational research to the development of innovative curricula for undergraduate chemistry education. He has received various awards during his academic career, including the James Flack Norris Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Teaching of Chemistry by American Chemical Society, and the Educational Research Award by the Council of Scientific Society Presidents. In 2015, he was named Arizona Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation. In 2019, he received the Education Research Award from the Council of Scientific Society Presidents and he has recently been awarded the 2021 ACS Award for Achievement in Research for the Teaching and Learning of Chemistry.

Aikaterini Touni is an undergraduate chemistry student at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece.

Marcy H. Towns is the Bodner-Honig Professor of Chemistry and Director of General Chemistry at Purdue University. She is a member of the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine Board on Science Education and is an Associate Editor for the Journal of Chemical Education. She received the 2017 American Chemical Society Award for Achievement in Research for the Teaching and Learning of Chemistry, the 2017 James Flack Norris Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Teaching of Chemistry from the Northeast Section of the American Chemical Society, and the 2019 Nyholm Prize in Education from the Royal Society of Chemistry, in addition to numerous teaching awards from Purdue University. She is a fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, the American Chemical Society, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Georgios Tsaparlis is Professor Emeritus of Science Education at the University of Ioannina, Greece. He received his first chemistry degree from the University of Athens, Greece, and his MSc and PhD degrees in theoretical chemistry from the University of East Anglia, UK, and worked as postdoctoral fellow under Professor Alex H. Johnstone at the University of Glasgow, UK. He served as a member of the research and teaching staff of the Department of Chemistry of the University of Ioannina from 1978 until 2015 (physical chemistry sector). Major areas of his research were: problem solving in science education (especially about the effect of cognitive factors and the application of nonlinear methodologies in the analysis of problem solving data); higher-order thinking skills (HOTS); and students’ conceptual understanding of quantum chemistry. He is the author/co-author of over 60 papers in international peer-reviewed journals, the author of chapters in 15 international books, co-editor of “Concepts of Matter in Science Education” (Springer), and guest co-editor of the Chemistry Education Research and Practice issue on physical chemistry education. In addition, he has published extensively in his native language, Greek. He was founding editor (2000–2004) and, from 2005 until 2011, joint editor of the journal Chemistry Education Research and Practice. He was the winner of the 2016 Education Award of the Royal Society of Chemistry.

Julie Vaiopoulou is a Post-Doctoral Fellow in the Department of Primary Education at Democritus University of Thrace, Greece. She holds a BA in primary education, a MA in pedagogy and a MA in lifelong learning. Her scientific interests include science education focusing on students’ ideas and mental representations of physical and chemical phenomena, and on the methodology of educational research.

Kimberly Vo is a PhD student at Monash University, Australia, and has a keen interest in chemistry education research. She has been awarded a 2017 Monash University summer scholarship to carry out research on problem-solving skills in chemistry. Currently she is researching student engagement with metacognitive scaffolding for problem solving. She is also interested in the approaches used by graduate teaching associates when scaffolding student problem solving.

Elizabeth Yuriev is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at Monash University, Australia. She is an experienced chemistry educator and education researcher. Her work focuses on innovations to improve learning and teaching of employability skills, with an emphasis on skill development in problem solving, collaboration, and study skills. Her achievements in education innovation have been recognized with numerous awards, including the Citation for Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning (The Australian Learning and Teaching Council, 2008), and RACI Chemistry Educator of the Year award (2019). She is influencing the quality of pharmacy and science education through her scholarly research, mentoring, presentations, and publications. She has published her findings in various international journals, including the Journal of Chemical Education, Chemistry Education Research and Practice, and Higher Education Research & Development.