My name is Dr. Stephanie Halmo (she/her) and I am an assistant professor in the Department of Biology at the University of Washington in Seattle. I am a discipline-based education researcher who is deeply interested in student thinking and learning in the undergraduate life sciences. I'm particularly fascinated by how students solve problems in biology and how they reflect on their learning process or use metacognition.

I am a proud triple dawg, meaning I completed all of my education (B.S. and Ph.D.) and training (postdoc) at the University of Georgia. For my Ph.D., I pursued a split dissertation doing both traditional bench research and biology education research under the co-mentorship of Dr. Lance Wells and Dr. Paula Lemons. After completing my Ph.D., I was a postdoctoral research associate in biology education research with Dr. Julie Stanton.

My initial fascination with how people learn started when I taught middle school science in rural South Carolina as a Teach For America corps member. Like many, I was initially drawn to biology education research through my love of science, a need for evidence-based teaching practices, and a desire to help all students learn. In my spare time I like to go on hikes, bike, try out new restaurants, solve puzzles, and take dance classes.