Bio:
Dr. Jennifer Stanford is an Associate Professor in Biology, and Co-Director of the Center for the Advancement of STEM Teaching and Learning Excellence (CASTLE). Dr. Stanford conducts research on evaluating and improving approaches to teach STEM in higher education environments to promote student learning, engagement, and retention; and understanding epigenetic mechanisms controlling learning and memory using Drosophila melanogaster as a model system.
Dr. Stanford did her graduate training in cell and developmental biology, and studied the regulation of Cdc25 and Wee1 in Xenopus egg cell cycles. She helped to create the first post-doctoral teaching fellow position at Harvard Medical School, forming the basis for the Harvard Medical School Curriculum Fellows Program. She held professional positions as Instructor at Harvard Medical School and Assistant Teaching Professor at Drexel, prior to her current position. In 2013, Dr. Stanford was selected to participate in the Vision and Change in Biology Education Conference. In 2014, she was selected as an AAC&U STIRS Scholar. Dr. Stanford received the Allen Rothwarf Award for Teaching Excellence in 2015. She has been consistently funded from organizations including the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, National Science Foundation, and the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, with external grant funding totaling approximately $9M. Her recent work centers on expanding access to effective and inclusive learning experiences.
Dr. Stanford is committed to inclusive excellence in STEM education, exemplified by her Co-Director role in CASTLE. CASTLE was awarded the Drexel President’s Award for Diversity and Inclusive Community in 2018. Her teaching and service are dedicated to effective and inclusive teaching. Her research focuses, in part, on developing scalable and sustainable approaches to promote student learning, engagement, and success in STEM. Through her bench science, Dr. Stanford endeavors to promote inclusive development of scientists who have an effective and healthy approach to conducting science.