2022 AERA Fellows


Click the name to jump to each fellow's citation of accomplishment and introductory video. 


Marina U. Bers, Tufts University

Dr. Marina Umaschi Bers is among the world’s most influential scholars in the area of computer science in early childhood. Her groundbreaking theoretical model positions coding not just as part of another STEM discipline, but rather as a language that children can develop through creative expression of ideas. Dr. Bers has designed two widely used educational tools: KIBO, a developmentally appropriate robotics kit, and ScratchJr, a free programming application that allows children to create their own stories and games. Originally from Argentina, Dr. Bers teaches at the Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Study and Human Development at Tufts University, where she has launched multiple initiatives to increase funding for underrepresented students and one of the only Early Childhood Technology certificate programs in existence. She is the author of six books and the recipient of numerous awards, including the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers. Passionate in her belief that educational technologies should be designed as “playgrounds,” not “playpens,” Dr. Bers is committed to helping children engage and explore as they learn.


Mimi Bong, Korea University

Dr. Mimi Bong is a prominent international leader in the field of academic motivation and one of the few scholars studying it from a neuroscience perspective. Her innovative research has helped establish theoretical boundaries between the constructs of self-concept and self-efficacy and has impacted policy and practice across the world. As the director of the Brain and Motivation Research Institute at Korea University and a professor of Educational Psychology, Dr. Bong has been widely recognized by her peers for the quality and productivity of her scholarly contributions to the field. Throughout her career, she has produced more than 100 publications and received more than $11,000,000 in funding. She was named editor-in-chief for the Journal of Experimental Education and has served as an associate editor for the American Educational Research Journal. Dr. Bong’s work on self-regulation and motivation, both internationally and within Korea, has been highly influential in the practice of learning and instruction.


Curtis J. Bonk, Indiana University

Dr. Curtis Bonk is a globally recognized authority in the fields of blended learning and educational technology. Teaching at Indiana University’s School of Education, he is known for his extraordinary leadership, mentoring, and collaboration, while also advising educational, government, and nonprofit organizations on how technology can advance K–12 education and adult learning. Dr. Bonk has trained more than one hundred PhD students, who have become highly successful researchers, professors, and academic leaders. With more than 20,000 citations of his work, he is an international leader in finding and disseminating ways to open access to education. Among his numerous publications are several seminal books, including The World Is Open: How Web Technology Is Revolutionizing Education, which has been translated into Chinese, and Open Education in the Global South, an influential multi-country collaboration. Dr. Bonk’s ongoing research and contributions to the field of educational technology are not only exceptional, but also critical in a world where distance, online, and self-directed learning have become integral parts of academic life.


Gloria Swindler Boutte, University of South Carolina

Dr. Gloria Swindler Boutte is an accomplished theoretician and widely recognized social justice educator. She has expanded the academic literature on culturally relevant teaching, equity pedagogies, and African Diaspora Literacy through her cutting-edge research. In 2018, Dr. Boutte became the first Black female to be named a Carolina Distinguished Professor at the University of South Carolina, one of the highest honors bestowed by the university. She also serves as program coordinator for the university’s teaching and learning PhD program. Dr. Boutte directs the Center for the Education and Equity of African American Students, which she founded to advance the educational and social welfare of Black students, families, and communities by making research accessible to a wide variety of educators and practitioners. Dr. Boutte’s transformative research and work have educated and prepared thousands of teachers by deepening their understanding of the individual, systemic, and structural realities faced by African American children.


Ivar Bråten, University of Oslo

Dr. Ivar Bråten has blazed a trail in research on text-based learning for the past several decades, specifically on how readers deal with the multitude and complexity of information sources available today. A major player in contemporary educational psychology in Norway as well as internationally, Dr. Bråten has shed critical light on how students choose, process, and judge what they read and how this connects to learning and memory. In addition to teaching educational psychology at the University of Oslo, Dr. Bråten is a visiting scholar at nine universities in seven countries. He also serves on the editorial review boards of nine of the most prestigious journals in educational psychology, and publishes regularly in books and scholarly journals. As the Internet and digital devices have become increasingly integral to learning, and as parsing information becomes ever more crucial, Dr. Bråten’s work has become central to the field of contemporary reading research and information literacy. 


John B. Diamond, Brown University

Dr. John Diamond is a leading scholar in the study of race in education and how it shapes instruction and learning on the ground in U.S. schools and school systems. Dr. Diamond’s research focuses on the relationship between social inequality and educational opportunity, examining how leadership, policies, and practices shape students' educational opportunities and outcomes. A professor of sociology and education policy at Brown University, he also directs research projects focused on closing opportunity gaps and equity-centered school leadership, receiving more than $8,000,000 in external grants. Dr. Diamond is co-editor of the American Sociological Association's journal Sociology of Education and co-author of the award-winning book Despite the Best Intentions, which examines how race permeates everyday interactions even in relatively advantaged school systems. Dr. Diamond’s research accomplishments, appointments, and work with school leaders are dedicated to narrowing the opportunity gap for underrepresented and underresourced students through the identification and removal of systemic barriers. 


Drew H. Gitomer, Rutgers University

Dr. Drew Gitomer is one of the most accomplished scholars in the fields of educational assessment and teacher licensure and certification. His extensive research on teaching and teacher quality—as well as student learning—has led to improved performance assessments and measurement efforts, including contributions to assessments for the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards. A past editor for the AERA journal Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, Dr. Gitomer teaches in the Graduate School of Education at Rutgers University, where he is the Rose and Nicholas DeMarzo Chair in Education. Most recently, Dr. Gitomer has been exploring how research is used in the context of policy and practice development and enactment, and his work has been instrumental to the advancement of teacher quality programs. Over his 30-year career, Dr. Gitomer has been an influential voice on the importance of developing assessments and evaluations that are integrated with curricula, resulting in richer instructional experiences for teachers and students.


M. Gail Jones, North Carolina State University

Dr. Gail Jones is an internationally recognized researcher whose innovative work has made her a pioneer in the field of science education. Grounded in a commitment to addressing inequities in STEM educational opportunities, she focuses on the teaching and learning of nanotechnology. An Alumni Distinguished Graduate Professor at North Carolina State University and an award-winning mentor, Dr. Jones engages her students in all aspects of her own research, from theoretical conceptualization to dissemination of results. She has been the dissertation chair or member of more than 60 doctoral committees and has received more than $58,000,000 in external funding. Her co-authored, barrier-breaking book Nanoscale Science laid the path for schools to do remote experimentation and for K–12 students to use atomic-force microscopes. Her work is also used for teacher professional development across the United States and in museums worldwide. Dr. Jones’s work has contributed to transforming K–12 science education, championing both technology-enhanced learning and efforts to make the field more inclusive for students underrepresented in STEM.


Francesca López, The Pennsylvania State University

Dr. Francesca López is a widely respected and accomplished expert on promoting achievement for Latinx youth and other students of color in educational settings. The Waterbury Chair in Equity Pedagogy in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at Penn State University, Dr. López is also known for her work in clarifying misconceptions within national discussions about Critical Race Theory. Her impactful co-authored research brief Understanding the Attacks on Critical Race Theory was published by the influential National Education Policy Center, and her book Asset Pedagogies in Latino Youth Identity and Achievement: Nurturing Confianza serves as a critical resource for teachers. Dr. López serves as a National Education Policy Center Fellow and a senior associate editor for the American Journal of Education, and she served as co-editor of the American Educational Research Journal. Dr. López’s work is challenging and replaces status-quo perceptions about the performance of Latinx students with a research-backed narrative focused on achievement. 


Jerome E. Morris, University of Missouri-St. Louis

Dr. Jerome Morris is a nationally distinguished scholar on the intersection of race, education, and geography. His research focuses specifically on the Southern United States and ways that community, as well as desegregation strategies and policies, affect Black children in K–12 schools. Dr. Morris is the E. Desmond Lee Endowed Professor of Urban Education at the University of Missouri, St. Louis, where he mentors graduate students as well as junior faculty and assisted in the development of a Black student union. He has published in many top-tier journals, including Review of Research in Education, Educational Researcher, the American Educational Research Journal, and Teachers College Record. In 2020, Dr. Morris received the prestigious $1,000,000 Lyle M. Spencer Research Award to Transform Education. Through his multi-year research undertaking on communally bonded schooling, Dr. Morris has continued to shed critical light on the ecological realities that shape educational opportunities for Black communities in the South.

 


Anne-Marie Núñez, The Ohio State University

Dr. Anne-Marie Núñez is a groundbreaking researcher and scholar in the realm of practice and policymaking in postsecondary education, particularly concerning Hispanic-serving institutions. A professor in the Department of Educational Studies, College of Education and Human Ecology, at The Ohio State University, Dr. Núñez explores how to broaden participation for underrepresented groups. Her research has illustrated how diverse social identities, and their intersections, differentially shape opportunities and outcomes related to postsecondary education. Her scholarship has also brought crucial visibility to Hispanic-serving institutions, including her award-winning co-edited book Hispanic-Serving Institutions: Advancing Research and Transformative Practice, which was the first comprehensive book to be published on the topic. Dr. Núñez’s research has been published in multiple prestigious journals, including the American Educational Research Journal, Review of Higher Education, and Harvard Educational Review. Her work has had a profound impact on the field of higher education, resulting in a continued focus on equity and inclusion in STEM, and federal policy that increases funding and support for Hispanic-serving institutions.


Lily Orland-Barak, The University of Haifa

Dr. Lily Orland-Barak is a leading education scholar in Israel and an internationally renowned expert in the realm of teachers’ professional learning and mentoring. She is widely known for her work in designing and implementing research-based curricula as well as for cutting-edge pedagogies of graduate education. Her award-winning book Learning to Mentor-as-Praxis: Foundations for a Curriculum in Teacher Education, presents readers with a groundbreaking and culturally sensitive conceptual framework for understanding, improving, and supporting mentoring. Dr. Orland-Barak is a professor in the Department of Learning, Instruction, and Teacher Education at the University of Haifa, where she is also dean of the Graduate Studies Authority. Her research has informed multiple levels of policy and practice not only in Israel, but also in Chile, China, Norway, and elsewhere around the globe. Dr. Orland-Barak’s cross-cutting international work has made an exceptional contribution to research, practice, and policy related to teacher education and teachers’ professional learning.


Lori Patton Davis, The Ohio State University

Dr. Lori Patton Davis is a widely recognized and sought-after authority on the study of race and gender in higher education. She is chair of the Department of Educational Studies at The Ohio State University and is best known for her groundbreaking scholarly work on girls and women of color in educational and social contexts; race and racism in education; and college student development. The first Black woman to be elected to serve as president of the Association for the Study of Higher Education, she has authored more than 70 peer-reviewed journal articles, and her research has reached broader audiences in multiple media outlets, including the Chronicle of Higher Education and the Huffington Post. In 2021, Dr. Patton Davis delivered the AERA Brown Lecture in Education Research, the association’s preeminent public lecture. Her seminal publication Student Development in College: Theory, Research, and Practice is the most widely adopted textbook in higher education graduate programs today. Dr. Patton Davis has had a transformational and enduring impact on the intersectional study of race and gender in postsecondary education.


Olle ten Cate, University Medical Center Utrecht

Dr. Olle ten Cate is widely recognized as one of the most influential and innovative medical educators in the world. A professor of medical education at University Medical Center Utrecht in the Netherlands, Dr. ten Cate is also a senior scientist at the Center as well as its scientific director of education. Over the past 35 years, Dr. ten Cate has made significant contributions to medical education, authoring more than 400 publications, serving on multiple editorial boards, and mentoring dozens of doctoral students, many of whom now hold leadership positions in the field. He is the creator of Entrustable Professional Activities, or EPAs, an innovative workplace assessment approach used for medical education and embraced by the Association of American Medical Colleges. It is also widely used in international educational programs for a variety of health professions and other fields, including teacher training and technical vocational training. Dr. ten Cate’s research, innovations, and advocacy have helped transform the landscape of medical education and competency-based education.


Brendesha M. Tynes, University of Southern California

Dr. Brendesha Tynes is a pioneering researcher whose work is shedding critical light on the ways that online racial discrimination impacts student well-being. She led the first team to examine the interplay between online and traditional racial discrimination, and how these incidents affect adolescent motivation, mental health, and social-emotional skills. An educational and developmental psychologist and Dean’s Professor for Educational Equity at the University of Southern California’s Rossier School of Education, Dr. Tynes has made several important theoretical, empirical, and policy contributions, including designing the Online Victimization Scale, a tool to directly assess the negative experiences of students of color in online spaces. She is the founding director of the Center for Empowered Learning and Development with Technology, where she is charting the course for equity in digital learning and the psychological impacts of online interactions. She also received the AERA Early Career Award in 2015. Dr. Tynes’s research offers profound implications not only for diversity, equity, and inclusion in the digital world, but also for contemporary social justice movements writ large.


Erica N. Walker, Teachers College, Columbia University

Dr. Erica Walker is a preeminent scholar in mathematics education, practice, and policy. Her research is at the forefront of understanding the relationship between social and cultural factors and mathematics engagement, learning, and performance, especially for underserved students. The Clifford Brewster Upton Professor of Mathematical Education at Teachers College, Columbia University, and the director of the Gordon Institute for Urban and Minority Education, Dr. Walker is known for her passion for mentoring underrepresented junior colleagues. She has published several influential scholarly works, including her seminal work Beyond Banneker: Black Mathematicians and the Paths to Excellence. Her efforts to advance equity in STEM have been recognized by the National Science Foundation, which funded her recently launched research project Storytelling for Mathematics Learning and Engagement, aimed at creating a digital database of diverse mathematics storytelling to engage and inspire younger students. Dr. Walker’s work has significantly impacted the research and practice around culturally responsive pedagogical practices in STEM.


Helen Margaret Gilchrist Watt, The University of Sydney

Dr. Helen Watt is an internationally recognized researcher dedicated to exploring student and teacher motivation and development in STEM. Her cutting-edge theoretical and empirical work addresses significant practical issues concerning gendered engagement and participation in STEM fields and has impacted policy through several longitudinal studies. A professor of educational psychology and director of research development at The University of Sydney, she was recently elected as a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia, one of the highest honors an Australian researcher can receive. She has also received two prestigious and rare fellowships with the Australian Research Council. Widely known for her leadership in the field, her collaborative style, and the rigor of her work, she is engaged in several multi-country partnerships and has received more than $6 million in grant funding for her research. Dr. Watt’s work has powerful implications for correcting gender imbalances in STEM as well as for supporting teacher motivation and well-being.


Eboni M. Zamani-Gallaher, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Dr. Eboni Zamani-Gallaher is a transformative leader in the field of higher education and policy, dedicated to addressing the needs of marginalized students and their right to an equitable education. She is nationally renowned for her scholarly contributions and her work to center underserved populations in the community college context. Known for her mentorship, training, and service to the profession, Dr. Zamani-Gallaher is the director of the Office of Community College Research and Leadership and executive director of the Council for the Study of Community Colleges. She has received numerous awards for her work and more than $9 million in external grants from a wide range of funders, including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Dr. Zamani-Gallaher’s research has charted the course for more equitable practices and pathways in higher education and is advancing our understanding of how community colleges can better meet the needs of historically underrepresented and underserved students.