Suzanne M. Nesmith, Ph.D., joined Baylor University’s School of Education in 2009 and currently serves as the Associate Dean of Undergraduate Education and Associate Professor in Curriculum and Instruction. Nesmith came to Baylor from Wayland Baptist University where she served as the Associate Dean and Assistant Professor of Elementary Education. Previously, she was an elementary and middle level classroom teacher for sixteen years.

A specialist in science and engineering education, Nesmith has published extensively on the ways in which content, instructional strategies, and instructional contexts work together in the construction of meaning and understanding. Her research has been published in leading refereed journals including International Journal of Science Education, School Science and Mathematics, Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education, Action in Teacher Education, Research in the Schools, and Journal of Latinos and Education. Her recent studies include explorations of elementary preservice and inservice teachers’ efficacy and implementation of engineering, perceptions toward the utilization of literature in mathematics, educators’ design and implementation of environmental education curricula, and the impacts of a professional development experience on educators’ application of green chemistry concepts.

Nesmith was recently awarded a Cooper Foundation Grant to develop and implement a STEM+ summer camp experience for rising fifth grade students. She is part of a multi-university cohort that was awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) Grant to explore educational materials and infrastructure for teaching concepts in rational molecular design and an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) grant to explore educators environmental efficacy and literacy. She has served on the editorial review board on numerous journals, and she has been elected and appointed to leadership positions in the Education Deans of Independent Colleges and Universities of Texas (EDICUT), School Science and Mathematics Association, Association of Science Teacher Educators, American Association for the Advancement of Science, and Phi Delta Kappa Professional Education Organization.

Having spent over a quarter of a century in education at the preschool through higher education levels, Nesmith is passionate about her chosen profession. She received the Award for Excellence in Integrating Science and Mathematics from School Science and Mathematics Association in 2018 and the CREATE Exemplary Faculty Practice Award for 2013-2014. Nesmith teaches graduate and undergraduate courses and mentors students while serving in her academic leadership roles.