Faculty Co-Director
Vanessa Woods is an Associate Teaching Professor in Psychological and Brain Sciences at UCSB. Vanessa is an ex officio member of the Executive Council as the Chair of the Committee on Admissions, Enrollment, and Student Relations (CAERS). Vanessa earned a Ph.D. in Neuroscience, and has taught and conducted research on inclusive pedagogies in higher education at diverse institutions since 2009. Her research focus is on effective teaching practices and student success, with projects looking at: (i) creating equity in college classrooms by exploring innovations in pedagogical practices in large introductory STEM courses, (ii) raising up transfer student voices and looking at predictors of transfer student success, exploring best practices in faculty undergraduate mentoring contexts, and K-12 science interest & identity to understand the STEM college/career pipeline. Vanessa typically teaches behavioral neuroscience, college student development, and research methods (both upper and lower division with associated laboratory sections) for undergraduates, and pedagogy and teaching of psychology courses for graduate students.