Candace Walkington Simmons

Candace Walkington Simmons is a Professor and Annette and Harold Simmons Centennial Chair in the Department of Teaching & Learning at Southern Methodist University (SMU). Her research focuses on mathematics education, particularly on personalizing instruction to students' out-of-school interests and integrating embodied cognition through AR/VR technologies. She has secured over $12 million in grants from the NSF, U.S. Department of Education, and U.S. Department of Defense.

• Ph.D. in Mathematics Education, University of Texas at Austin
• Former community college mathematics professor
• IES Postdoctoral Fellow at University of Wisconsin-Madison
• Executive Editor of Cognition and Instruction

Her work examines how abstract mathematical concepts can be anchored in students' concrete experiences, including through Large Language Models (LLMs) for personalized middle school math instruction and motion capture games for geometric reasoning. She teaches courses for pre-service and in-service mathematics teachers and chairs the STEM Programs Committee at SMU.

Recent publications analyze the impact of AR/VR on collaborative geometry learning, the role of gestures in mathematical cognition, and AI-driven personalization. Grants include NSF iTEST and AISL awards for technology-enhanced math education.

• Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), 2019
• Spencer Postdoctoral Research Fellowship Grant
• NSF-GK12 Fellow
• IES Postdoctoral Fellowship

She has presented at conferences including AERA, NCME, and ISLS, often collaborating with researchers on embodied cognition, equity in STEM, and AI applications in education.