Julie Bianchini, Ph.D.

UC Santa Barbara
jbianchi@education.ucsb.edu

Julie Bianchini is Professor of Science Education, Faculty Director of UCSB’s CalTeach/Science and Mathematics Initiative, and Chair of the Department of Education. She received both her undergraduate degree in Biological Sciences and her Ph.D. in Curriculum and Teacher Education from Stanford University. Between degree programs, she taught biology and physics at a high school in San Francisco. Professor Bianchini’s research investigates ways to make science education accessible, interesting, and understandable to all students. More specifically, she examines issues at the intersection of issues of equity and diversity, including English learners; teacher education and professional development; and the teaching and learning of science. She also has expertise in curriculum development and group-work instruction. Further, Professor Bianchini has helped garner grants from the National Science Foundation’s Robert T. Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program to support science and mathematics teacher candidates at UCSB. She teacher secondary science methods in the UCSB Teacher Education Program. An article based on her dissertation research was awarded the 1998 Outstanding Paper in the Journal of Research in Science Teaching (JRST) by the National Association for Research in Science Teaching. In 2000, she also received the Early Career Research Award from this same organization.