The University of Maryland College of Education is pleased to announce that Doug Lombardi, associate professor in the Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, has been named associate dean for faculty affairs, effective July 1. In this position, Lombardi will be responsible for supporting the recruitment, retention and advancement of faculty across the College of Education.
“I am delighted that Dr. Lombardi will be taking on this role,” said Kimberly Griffin, dean of the College of Education. “Dr. Lombardi is an outstanding scholar and a generous colleague who is committed to supporting faculty across the college. His dedication to his colleagues makes him an excellent fit for this position.”
Recently promoted to the rank of full professor, Lombardi joined the College of Education in 2019 as an associate professor and served as a faculty fellow in the University Honors Program at the Honors College from 2020 to 2022. As the head of the Science Learning Research Group, Lombardi conducts research examining reasoning and critical thinking about knowledge claims. Much of this research is situated within the context of formal classroom settings and focuses on effective teaching tools and strategies to support deep learning, particularly about scientific topics that pose local, regional and global challenges, such as the causes of current climate change and the availability of freshwater resources.
“The College of Education community seeks to position citizens to address the enduring and perplexing grand challenges facing society, including the climate crisis, racial injustice and truth denial and disinformation. The college leads the way in elevating all people–young and old alike–to serve and thrive,” said Lombardi. “In my new role, I hope to help position faculty to be collaborative and cooperative impact leaders in their communities.”
An accomplished scholar, Lombardi has received early career research awards from the American Educational Research Association, the American Psychological Association, the Society for Text and Discourse, and NARST: A Worldwide Organization for Improving Science Teaching and Learning Through Research. His research has been well supported by the National Science Foundation and the US Department of Education.
Lombardi is currently an associate editor for the Journal for Research in Science Teaching and the Journal of Educational Psychology. He also serves on the editorial boards of the International Journal of Science Education and the Educational and Developmental Psychologist. His research and theoretical positions have been published in journals such as Psychological Science in the Public Interest, Educational Psychologist, the Journal of Research in Science Teaching, Contemporary Educational Psychology, Learning and Instruction and Research in Science Education.
Lombardi is actively engaged in the College of Education, previously serving as the chair of the College of Education Senate, an inaugural member of the college’s Council on Racial Equity and Justice and a past speaker for the college’s annual Terrapin EdTalks.
Prior to joining the University of Maryland, Lombardi was an associate professor in the Department of Teaching and Learning at Temple University. Earlier in his career, he held various science education roles, including as project facilitator, program evaluator and regional science education trainer at the Southern Nevada Regional Professional Development Program; education and public outreach manager for the NASA Phoenix Mars Mission at the University of Arizona; and high school science teacher positions in Tennessee and Arizona.
Lombardi succeeds Distinguished University Professor Patricia Alexander, who has acted as interim associate dean for faculty affairs since August 2022.
