Mehri Fadavi

Mehri Fadavi is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Chemistry, Physics, and Atmospheric Sciences at Jackson State University's College of Science, Engineering, and Technology. With a career spanning over three decades, she has made significant contributions to physics education, teacher training, and observational astronomy infrastructure.

• Education: Ph.D. in Surface Physics from Keele University (1981); B.S. in Physics from Pahlavi University (1977)

Her research focuses on Physics Education, Physical Science, and Astronomy Education. She pioneered Mississippi’s first Licensed Physical Science Education Program and created the Mississippi Academy for Science Teaching (Project MAST) to enhance K-12 science instruction. Her work includes developing the SMART Center with 300+ hands-on science models and upgrading JSU's observatories into state-of-the-art facilities, including the Mehri Fadavi Observatory.

Recent publications highlight her work on teacher development, hurricane prediction modeling, and global telescope networking. She was honored with the Outstanding College Science Teacher award (2007-2008) and secured $24 million in external funding as Principal Investigator.