CIRTL Alumni Experience

An IUPUI Alumna's CIRTL Experience

Jennifer Robison graduated with her Ph.D. in biology from IUPUI in 2019. She joined the CIRTL at IUPUI program during her doctoral study with the goal of developing her teaching expertise and preparing for a future faculty position. She has earned all three CIRTL at IUPUI badges - Associate, Practitioner, and Scholar, which has shaped her teaching philosophy. In this interview, she shares her experiences in the CIRTL program and how she used them to achieve her professional goals.

Currently, Dr. Robison is an assistant professor of biology at Manchester University. An educator at heart, she is always re-imagining her courses by integrating innovative teaching strategies and activities. Her research specializes in the physiological and molecular response of plants to abiotic stress. Outside of the lab, she is a single mom and amateur glassblower.

The experience of going through CIRTL really helped me hone my pedagogy. It pushed me to think about how to assess what I was doing. CIRTL is a wonderful program no matter if you're going to end up in academia or industry. It does improve your communication skills and that's important no matter what type of career you end up in.