As the field continues to grow, more and more people are challenged with finding academic engineering education research (EER) positions that align with their broad abilities and interests. In the context of academia, EER positions most commonly exist in engineering education departments, traditional engineering departments (e.g., mechanical, civil), and non-degree granting programs (e.g., centers for teaching and learning, first-year engineering programs). These positions vary with regard to their emphasis on engineering education research, and provide access to different resources and mechanisms to impact engineering education.
This panel session is designed to help better understand the academic EER job market as it relates to what applicants (i.e., graduates and postdocs) experience as they navigate the academic job-search and decision-making process. During the sessions, panelists will (1) discuss what academic job opportunities existed for early-career engineering education researchers during the past 2.5 job-search cycles covering jobs posted to the ERM listserv from July 2017 through December 2019; (2) provide insight into the academic job search and decision-making process based on interviews conducted with seven early-career EER faculty members.
Courtney is a Teaching Assistant Professor in Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She joined UNC-Charlotte after completing her Ph.D. in Engineering Education at Virginia Tech and her B.S in
Optical Engineering and M.S. in Electrical Engineering at Norfolk State University. Courtney’s research interests include recruitment and retention of minority women into academia as well as other areas of student experiences as it relates to inclusion. In her current position, she primarily focuses on teaching, which drives her growing interest in developing culturally inclusive pedagogy within the electrical and computer engineering classroom.
Cheryl is an Associate Professor in the Department of Experiential Engineering Education at Rowan University. Cheryl received her B.Sc. and Ph.D. in
Chemical Engineering from the University of Calgary. She also obtained her certification as a
Training and Development Professional (CTDP) from the Canadian Society for Training and Development (CSTD) in 2010. Cheryl’s research interests relate to the incorporation of active
learning techniques in undergraduate classes as well as integration of innovation and
entrepreneurship into the engineering curriculum. In her current position, she teaches freshman
and sophomore multidisciplinary design classes and is working on establishing an engineering
education group focused on assessing the effectiveness of game-based instruction for engineering
concepts.
Erin is an Instructional Assistant Professor in the Cullen College of Engineering at the University of Houston. She joined the University of Houston after completing a postdoctoral/lecturer position split between the General Engineering program and the Engineering & Science Education Department and a Ph.D. in Bioengineering
from Clemson University. Before returning to graduate school for her Ph.D., Erin worked for
Merge Healthcare as a Technical Support Analyst in Milwaukee, WI after completing her B.S. in Biomedical Engineering from Michigan Technological University. Erin’s research interests include preparing students for their sophomore year, minority student engineering identity
development, and providing mentoring relationships to help foster student growth and success. In her current position, she focuses on instruction and curriculum development for the First-Year Experience at the University of Houston.