Speaker Bio: Erin L. Dolan, Ph.D.

Erin is a professor of biochemistry & molecular biology and Georgia Athletic Association Professor of Innovative Science Education at the University of Georgia. As a graduate student in Neuroscience at University of California at San Francisco, she volunteered extensively in K-12 schools, which prompted her to pursue a career in biology education. Her research group, the SPREE Lab (Social Psychology of Research Experiences and Education), studies the career development and decision-making of undergraduate and graduate life science students in the context of research experiences and research training. With funding from the National Science Foundation, her group is working to delineate the features of research experiences that influence students’ career trajectories, develop measurement tools for studying undergraduate and graduate research experiences and mentorship, and promote change toward more effective and inclusive undergraduate and graduate education. She served on the National Academies consensus committee on mentoring in STEMM, which produced evidence-based recommendations for improving undergraduate and graduate mentorship. She co-authored a guidebook on designing and teaching course-based undergraduate research experiences as a more equitable and inclusive approach to undergraduate research. After ten years as Editor-in-Chief of the biology education journal, CBE – Life Sciences Education, she now serves the journal as a Senior Editor. She has extensive experience facilitating professional development for current and future faculty on research mentoring, evidence-based teaching, and undergraduate research.