Yael Gertner

Yael Gertner is a Teaching Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, with a focus on computing education and broadening participation in computing. Her work develops autograded tools for theoretical courses and interdisciplinary K-12 curricula.

• BS and MEng in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from MIT (1997)
• PhD in Computer and Information Science from the University of Pennsylvania (2003)
• Postdoctoral training in Psychology at UIUC (2003–2006) and Beckman Fellow (2006–2009)

Her research spans Computer Science Education, designing autograded tools for proof writing and algorithm design; K-12 Curriculum Development, including modular CS+X courses; and Educational Psychology, analyzing study behaviors and metacognition in conceptual courses. She also contributes to Broadening Participation in Computing via bridge programs and mentorship initiatives.

Recent articles highlight her work on Proof Blocks for theoretical computer science, CS+X Interdisciplinary Integration for high school, and Kotter's Organizational Change Model applied to diversity initiatives. Her studies explore Metacognition, Study Strategies, and Performance Metrics in engineering and computer science courses.

Scientific awards include the 2024 Collins Award for Innovative Teaching from the Grainger College of Engineering. She actively participates in service activities like the TRIO Upward Bound program, the Illinois Computer Science Summer Teaching Workshop, and the MS Pathways to Computing Consortium.