Christopher Rhoads

Dr. Christopher Rhoads is an Associate Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Connecticut, specializing in research methods, measurement, and evaluation. He holds a Ph.D. in Statistics from Northwestern University (2008), an M.S. in Applied Mathematics and Statistics from Stony Brook University (2003), and a B.A. in Philosophy from Haverford College (1996). His research focuses on methodological advancements for causal inference in policy-relevant education studies, including optimal design of experiments, regression discontinuity designs, and cluster randomized trials.

Dr. Rhoads has led or co-led multiple high-impact research projects funded by organizations such as the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), National Science Foundation (NSF), and U.S. Department of Education. These include evaluations of educational technology interventions, gifted education programs, and initiatives addressing STEM course accessibility for non-traditional students. Notable projects include the $5 million National Center for Research on Gifted Education (2020–2025) and a $9.7 million U.S. Department of Education project to develop effective mathematics educators.

• Key Expertise: Optimal design of quantitative research, causal inference techniques, regression discontinuity methods.
• Recent Methodological Work: Techniques for generalizing study results to policy-relevant populations, improving power in clustered experiments, and integrating implementation fidelity measures.

He serves on advisory boards for IES/NSF-funded projects and regularly teaches at the IES Summer Research Training Institute for cluster randomized trials. His publications emphasize statistical rigor and methodological innovation, appearing in journals like Journal of Educational and Behavioral Statistics and Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness.