Vanessa Woods

Vanessa Woods is an Associate Teaching Professor in the Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), within the College of Letters & Science. Her primary focus is teaching and undergraduate research mentorship. She earned her BS in Biopsychology and Ph.D. in Neuroscience (Behavioral Pharmacology emphasis) from UCSB.

• Education: BS in Biopsychology, PhD in Neuroscience (UCSB)

Her research through the ACCESS Lab examines factors influencing student success in academic settings, with a focus on:

• Active learning techniques in STEM
• Mentoring's role in student achievement
• Increasing underrepresented student participation in STEM
• K-12 student identity development as scientists

Key achievements include securing a $3M Department of Defense grant for SciTrek-BioTech (as part of a university-wide team) and winning the UCSB Distinguished Teaching Award. She actively engages undergraduates as research assistants in her lab, emphasizing year-long commitments and independent work.

• Grants: $3M DoD Grant (2021), APA Conference Grant (2021)

The ACCESS Lab collaborates on initiatives like the 2025 Western Psychological Association conference and maintains a lab space in 3811 Psychology East.