Morgan Balabanoff

Morgan Balabanoff is an Assistant Professor and General Chemistry Coordinator at the University of Louisville, specializing in Chemistry Education. She leads the Balabanoff Research Group, dedicated to developing assessment tools to evaluate students' understanding of chemistry concepts, particularly in foundational courses like General Chemistry. Her work emphasizes contextualized learning through water-based assessments and explores atomic structure models aligned with Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).

Education includes a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from the University of Wyoming (2018), a B.S. in Chemistry from Creighton University (2013), and a Postdoctoral Fellowship in Chemistry Education at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (2021).

Research interests span assessment design, atomic structure education, STEM student retention, and the integration of modeling practices in science curricula. Recent work addresses factors influencing pre-health student retention and the cognitive aspects of UV/Vis spectroscopy. She collaborates widely, publishing in Chemistry Education Research and Practice and Journal of Chemical Education.

As General Chemistry Coordinator, Dr. Balabanoff focuses on curricular reform, student success strategies, and inclusive pedagogy. Her research group operates a lab investigating science identity, attrition trends, and the efficacy of new educational tools.