Ann Cavallo

Ann Cavallo, Ph.D., is Assistant Vice Provost and Director of the Center for Research on Teaching and Learning Excellence (CRTLE), Co-Director of UTeach Arlington, and Distinguished University Professor of Science Education at the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA). She earned her B.S. from Niagara University, and her M.S. in Science Education/Biology, M.S. in General Science, and Ph.D. in Science Education from Syracuse University. She holds secondary school teacher certification in Biology, Chemistry, Earth Science, and General Science, and taught middle and high school science prior to earning her graduate degrees. As a faculty member at UTA, she designed, directed, and taught in undergraduate and graduate programs including courses on STEM teaching methods, educational psychology, education research methodology, biology, physical science, and earth science. She also previously served as Associate Dean for Research in the College of Education, and in 2018 was appointed Assistant Vice Provost under the Office of the Provost, launching and directing the new research-based Center for Research on Teaching and Learning Excellence (CRTLE). In this position, Dr. Cavallo designs and leads numerous professional development programs for faculty and GTAs in all disciplines and in various modalities, including on-campus, online, and hybrid. Dr. Cavallo’s research investigates high school and college students’ learning approaches and processes, scientific reasoning, self-efficacy, and their acquisition of conceptual understandings of science, particularly through inquiry-based teaching models. She has been Principal Investigator of four National Science Foundation Robert Noyce STEM teacher scholarship grants, as well as several Noyce research and regional conference subaward grants, and in total she has secured more than $12 million from various funding agencies to support STEM education. Most of this funding has provided support and access for college students to earn STEM teacher certification, advanced degrees, or enroll in special field courses; or for economically disadvantaged middle and high school students to engage in summer inquiry-based STEM programs. Dr. Cavallo has over 50 publications in internationally and nationally refereed journals, proceedings, books, book chapters, and scholarly reports, and over 130 presentations at professional conferences. She has held leadership positions in professional education organizations, including serving on Advisory Boards for NSF and AAAS on STEM teacher education in high-need schools. In 2015, Dr. Cavallo received the Distinguished Record of Research Award from UTA, and in 2016, she was inducted into the Academy of Distinguished Scholars. In 2022, Dr. Cavallo was one of a selected few Noyce Principal Investigators featured in an NSF/AAAS video production celebrating the 20th anniversary of the NSF Noyce STEM Teacher Scholarship program (2022 Noyce Summit).

In January 2023, Dr. Cavallo received the honor of being named a lifetime Fellow by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) for distinguished contributions to the advancement of science education, particularly for her work with STEM teachers.