Jessica Poulin

Jessica Poulin is a Teaching Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University at Buffalo, part of the College of Arts and Sciences. She holds the SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching, Milton Plesur Excellence in Teaching Award, and UB Teaching Innovation Award. Her research shifted from evolutionary ecology (focusing on invasive species and phenotypic plasticity) to science education, emphasizing undergraduate curriculum development and innovative teaching tools like Pop!World. She collaborates with computer science to develop cloud-enabled simulation tools for genetics education.

Education: PhD from University of California, Irvine. Research Focus: Evolutionary Biology Education, Population Genetics Simulation, and STEM Education Technology. Awards: SUNY Chancellor’s Award (2022), MAC Outstanding Faculty Award (2022), Milton Plesur Award, UB Teaching Innovation Award.

Her Pop!World tool allows real-time exploration of microevolutionary forces and has versions for diverse educational levels. She prioritizes data-driven evaluation of educational interventions. Lab/field research now supplements her work in pedagogy. Collaborations include the Computer Science and Engineering department for tool development.