Heather Haeger
Dr. Haeger is the Research Director for the Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics (STEM) Learning Center and an Assistant Professor in Educational Policy Studies and Practice. Her research is focused on equity in educational practices and barriers to full participation in STEM education. Her research is used to inform programmatic interventions aimed at engaging students that have been traditionally marginalized in higher education and creating more inclusive and culturally responsive STEM learning environments.
Dr. Haeger also serves as a counselor in the Undergraduate Research Program Division and serving on the Committee of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR). She served as the Assessment and Research Coordinator for the Council on Undergraduate Research from 2016-2020. In that role, she developed tools for CUR members to conduct their own research and assessment, studied the role of faculty mentoring of undergraduates in tenure and promotion, and conducted a collaborative study with seven universities on the impact of undergraduate research on retention and graduation for first-generation and low-income students in STEM.
Dr. Haeger received her Ph.D. in Educational Policy Studies and Practice from the University of Arizona. From 2011-2014, she was an Assistant Research Faculty in the Center for Postsecondary Research at Indiana University. She worked on designing, testing, and administering surveys on student engagement including the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) and the Law School Survey of Student Engagement (LSSSE). Her research focused on creating equitable opportunities for student engagement. Dr. Haeger was also the Associate Director of Educational Research with the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Center at California State University, Monterey Bay from 2014-2021. In this role, she was the PI on the National Science Foundation (NSF) Improving Undergraduate STEM Education (IUSE) Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) grant: Inclusive and Integrative STEM Education through Undergraduate Research. Dr. Haeger was also a Co-principal Investigator and Program Manager on the U.S. Department of Education, HSI-STEM and Articulation Programs Title III grant: Research-based Interventions to Increase STEM Degree Attainment. Dr. Haeger lead a team of undergraduate researchers (the STEM Education Research Group) to support evaluation efforts for these grants, specifically focusing on equity and inclusion in these programs.