Tamara Nelson-Fromm

Tamara Nelson-Fromm is an Assistant Instructional Professor of Computer Science at the University of Chicago, beginning her appointment in Fall 2025. She holds a core faculty position within the Department of Computer Science and is formally affiliated with the Phoenix Scholars Program, which supports underrepresented students in STEM fields through specialized academic pathways.

Her educational background includes:

• PhD in Computer Science & Engineering from the University of Michigan (advised by Dr. Mark Guzdial)
• BS in Computer Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign (2020, worked with Dr. Wade Fagen-Ulmschneider in the d7 group)

Dr. Nelson-Fromm's research program centers on computing education with dual emphases: understanding non-computing students' programming learning processes and designing curricula for alternative educational endpoints. She employs rigorous qualitative methodologies to investigate K-12 teacher professional development practices and student experiences in general education computing courses. Her work specifically targets making computer science education more accessible to arts and sciences students through alternative pedagogical approaches.

As an instructional faculty member, she focuses on innovative teaching practices within the Phoenix Scholars Program framework. Her role involves developing specialized computing curricula that accommodate diverse student backgrounds while maintaining academic rigor, with particular attention to students considering multiple academic pathways. Current work examines how engineering program planning tools can be adapted for broader student accessibility.