Melissa Dancy
Bio
Professor Dancy earned her BS in Physics from Furman University, her Masters in Physics and her Masters in Science Education from Purdue, and her PhD in Physics from NC State University working in Physics Education Research (PER). Her career has been non-traditional and has included: working on the Physlet project at Davidson college, being a member of the PER group in Boulder Colorado, and an independent consult doing STEM evaluation work. She joined the faculty at NC State in the Fall of 2025.
Area(s) of Expertise
Professor Dancy's research interests span Physics Education Research. Most of her work has been in departmental level systemic reform to improve teaching, faculty development, fairness in STEM and metacognition to improve student success. Her research is generally mixed methods or qualitative in nature.
Publications
- Beyond good intentions: Strategies for effective equity work , Perimeter Institute (2025)
- Dismantling inequity in physics: The essential role of overrepresented groups , Perimeter Institute (2025)
- Fairness is Still Missing in Physics Departments , Physics (2025)
- Majority group physics instructors struggle to notice, name, and disrupt racist and sexist student interactions , Physical Review Physics Education Research (2025)
- Pre-collegiate factors contributing to the choice of a chemistry major: the role of science capital , Chemistry Education Research and Practice (2025)
- A National Snapshot of Introductory Chemistry Instructors and Their Instructional Practices , Journal of Chemical Education (2024)
- Beyond good intentions: Strategies for Effective Equity Work , Gender in High Energy Theory Conference (2024)
- Characteristics of departments with high-use of active learning in introductory STEM courses: implications for departmental transformation , International Journal of STEM Education (2024)
- Dismantling inequality in physics: The essential role of overrepresented groups , Gender in High Energy Theory Conference (2024)
- How Community College Educations Generate Both Science Capital and Science-Specific Transfer Capital Among Low-Income White Women Majoring in STEM , Community College Journal of Research and Practice (2024)
Groups
Honors and Awards
- Fellow of the American Physical Society