Henriette Tolstrup Holmegaard

Henriette Tolstrup Holmegaard is an Associate Professor at the Department of Science Education, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen. She leads the Equity in Science Education research group with 11 members and actively contributes to major research projects including GATE (funded by the Grundfos Foundation), SCOPE (supported by Villum and Novo Nordisk Foundations), and ASPIRES 3.

Her research centers on understanding children and young people's choice processes, transitions, and encounters with science and engineering disciplines. She investigates barriers preventing individuals from seeing themselves as belonging in STEM fields, significantly contributing to science identity theory. Her work emphasizes gender dynamics in STEM education and mechanisms of inclusion/exclusion embedded in educational systems.

Dr. Holmegaard's recent publications (2023-2025) demonstrate a consistent focus on identity formation across STEM disciplines through qualitative methodologies. Her work examines how cultural practices, gender dynamics, and educational environments shape students' engagement with science from early childhood through higher education, with particular attention to longitudinal identity development and career trajectories.

• ESERA strand coordinator for 'Cultural, social, gender and identity issues in science education' (2017)

She leads the GATE project investigating why young women who choose science programs in Danish gymnasium often refrain from continuing to higher education in STEM fields. As co-PI of the SCOPE project, she directs the qualitative component examining how children's relationship to STEM develops over time. Her research has practical implications for developing equitable teaching approaches in science education.

Dr. Holmegaard directs the Equity in Science Education research group, which focuses on understanding systemic barriers in science education and developing approaches to make science teaching more inclusive and accessible to diverse student populations.