Lisa D. McNair

Dr. Lisa D. McNair is a Professor of Engineering Education at Virginia Tech's College of Engineering, serving as Director of the Center for Educational Networks and Impacts (CENI) and a Senior Fellow at the Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology. Her research focuses on integrative curriculum development, interdisciplinary collaboration, and inclusive education practices across K-25 STEM settings. She holds a Ph.D. in Linguistics from the University of Chicago (2002), an M.A. in English (1992), and a B.A. in English (1985), both from the University of Georgia.

Key research areas include disability identity in engineering, maker space inclusivity, and curricular transformation. She leads NSF-funded projects like the ECE curriculum redesign and studies on disability identity formation. Awards include the 2014 Nunnally Award and 2010 NSF CAREER Award.

• Recent grants: Professional Identity Development in Civil Engineering Students with Disabilities (NSF), Liberatory Maker Spaces (NSF), and ECE Curriculum Redesign (NSF)
• Advising: Leads interdisciplinary projects and mentors through the Pathways Innovation Minor
• Labs/Teams: CENI, 4-VA network, and Vibrant Virginia initiatives

Teaching includes ENGE 2094: Create! Ideation and Innovation. Publications span educational theory, inclusive design, and cross-cultural engineering pedagogy.