I am an Associate Professor in the Department of Human Development at Teachers College, Columbia University.

I am an expert on students' motivation to learn during adolescence and youth. My particular focus is on how students make choices about math and science learning and career paths.

Background

Understanding how and why students are motivated to learn is critical for helping them to reach their full academic potential. I am a scholar focusing on understanding motivation. My work focuses on understanding and improving students' motivation to learn during middle school, high school, and college. 

Research

I work with college instructors, K-12 teachers, and school administrators to study how students' motivation affects their academic choices, achievement, and career trajectories. I also develop and test motivational interventions that can address barriers to academic participation and help students make better academic choices.

View Publications →

Motivation and Academic Choices Lab →

Education and Training

I earned a B.A., summa cum laude, from Washington University in St. Louis in 2011, with a double major in Philosophy-Neuroscience-Psychology and Educational Studies. 

I earned a Ph.D. in Human Development from the University of Maryland in 2017. I pursued a specialization in Educational Psychology and I also earned a graduate certificate in Measurement, Statistics, and Evaluation.

I was Principal Investigator for a National Science Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship during 2017-2019 at the University of Wisconsin, where I received training on the study of motivational development and interventions in college.