Gregory T Rushton

Dr. Gregory T Rushton is the Director of the Tennessee STEM Education Center (TSEC) and Professor of Chemistry at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU). Previously, he held roles as Associate Professor of Chemistry and Associate Director of Science Education at SUNY Stony Brook, and directed a science education graduate program at Kennesaw State University. His research focuses on conceptual change in chemistry education, STEM teacher leadership, classroom discourse practices, and K-16 policy reform.

• Education: PhD (Physical Organic Chemistry, University of South Carolina, 2004), M.Ed. (Science Education, University of South Carolina, 1998), BA (Chemistry, University of Southern California, 1993)

Key areas of investigation include STEM teacher retention strategies, demographic analyses of K-12 STEM teaching populations, and curriculum reform informed by research. He has secured over $18M in external funding through NSF, IES, and HHMI grants since 2005. Dr. Rushton has authored/co-authored 60+ peer-reviewed publications in journals like Science Education and Journal of Chemical Education.

His recent work emphasizes teacher leader development, with studies examining the role of professional networks and motivational factors in sustaining STEM educators. Notable projects include the TSEC's initiatives to advance data science education and evaluate teacher leadership programs' long-term impacts.