Nancy Warter-Perez

Dr. Nancy Warter-Perez serves as Professor and Chair of the Mechanical Engineering Department at California State University, Los Angeles within the College of Engineering, Computer Science, and Technology, while maintaining a secondary appointment in Electrical & Computer Engineering. With over twenty-five years of service, she has established herself as a national leader in engineering education innovation and STEM outreach for underrepresented minorities.

Her educational foundation includes:

• PhD in Electrical Engineering, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (1993)
• MS in Electrical Engineering, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (1989)
• BS in Electrical Engineering, Cornell University (1985)

Dr. Warter-Perez's research bridges high-performance computing (compiler techniques for embedded systems) and transformative engineering education. She pioneered flipped classroom models and collaborative project-based learning in STEM gateway courses, co-developed bioinformatics curriculum for interdisciplinary training, and leads initiatives to increase faculty equity-mindedness through the Howard Hughes Medical Institute grant. Her work consistently targets systemic improvements in STEM education access and pedagogy.

Her publication trajectory reveals a strategic shift toward educational research since 2010, with 80% of recent work focusing on active learning strategies, K-20 pipeline development, and inclusive teaching practices. While maintaining connections to high-performance computing, her scholarship now primarily addresses pedagogical innovation and equity transformation in engineering education.

Her accolades include:

• California State University Outstanding Professor and Distinguished Women Awards
• University of Illinois ECE Distinguished Alumni Award
• HP Leadership, Teaching Initiative, and Innovation in Education Awards
• National Science Foundation Young Investigator Award
• Honor society memberships: Eta Kappa Nu, Tau Beta Pi, Mortar Board, Phi Kappa Phi

As senior personnel on major grants including the W.M. Keck Foundation's ECST Innovation and Design Center (Makerspace), HHMI Inclusive Excellence, and DOE First in the World initiatives, she directs multi-institutional efforts to transform STEM education. Her grant portfolio spans $15M+ in funding for projects like IMPACT LA (NSF K-12 STEM Fellows) and the Southern California Bioinformatics Institute, focusing on active learning implementation and underrepresented minority engagement.

Dr. Warter-Perez actively shapes engineering education through the ECST Innovation and Design Center (Makerspace), where she integrates hands-on design experiences with curriculum development, and serves on the ECST Leadership Team driving institutional transformation in engineering pedagogy.