Senay Purzer

Dr. Senay Purzer is a Professor of Engineering Education at Purdue University's School of Engineering Education in West Lafayette, Indiana. Her office is located in ARMS 1331 with a research lab in WANG 3583.

Her educational background shows she has established herself as a prominent researcher in engineering education, with particular expertise in understanding how students learn engineering concepts and develop design skills.

Dr. Purzer's research focuses on the relationship between self-efficacy beliefs, team interactions, and student achievement; student interactions in diverse teams; the role of group argumentation in engineering design; and P-12 engineering education. Her recent publications (2023-2025) demonstrate a growing emphasis on ethical considerations in engineering design, data management, and socially transformative approaches to engineering education that address diversity, equity, and sustainability concerns.

Her scholarly work spans numerous areas including design reasoning, innovation processes, assessment methodologies, and the integration of engineering concepts into K-12 education. She has published extensively in journals such as the Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education Research (J-PEER), where she has contributed annual reports and conceptual frameworks.

Dr. Purzer actively collaborates with other researchers in the field, particularly with colleagues like Quintana on projects related to semantic fluency in design reasoning and argumentation processes. She is currently recruiting graduate students to work on research projects focused on engineering teamwork, diversity in engineering teams, and argumentation in engineering design.