Dr. Jennifer J. Kaplan is a Professor in the Department of Mathematical Sciences at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) and since August 2019 has directed the Mathematics and Science Education Ph.D. program at MTSU, advancing interdisciplinary STEM education scholarship. Prior to that, she held faculty positions at the University of Georgia and Michigan State University, and earned her Ph.D. in Mathematics with a focus on statistics education from the University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Kaplan brings deep practical insights into her research on undergraduate students’ interdisciplinary thinking, mathematical sense‑making in biology, chemistry, and physics, and assessment design for STEM learning.
Dr. Kaplan is the recipient of multiple NSF grants, including one specific award to develop innovative assessments that reveal how students apply scientific and mathematical reasoning together, and to use those insights to train STEM instructors. In leading the doctoral program at MTSU, she mentors emerging scholars and shapes the future of mathematics and science education research at the graduate level.