Amber Smith
PhD
Interim WISCIENCE Director
Room 118C
445 Henry Mall
Madison, WI 53706
About
I earned my PhD in Plant Breeding Plant Genetics from UW–Madison and continued my education with a postdoctoral experience centered on developing first-year transition programs for biology students. After working at the University of Michigan in the Center for Research on Learning and Teaching, I joined the WISCIENCE staff as the Director of Mentor and Mentee Training.
I direct the Biological Interactions Summer Research Program and the Entering Research course series. I support the Research Peer Leaders as they help undergraduates find and engage in research experiences. I cultivate partnerships across campus to develop and implement research mentorship training for graduate students, postdocs, staff, and faculty in both customized workshops and through our standard Research Mentor Training seminar.
Outside of work, I love hanging out with family, cooking, and spending time outside.
Publications
Porter-Beall, T., Smith, A., & Branchaw, J. (2025). Transfer STEM Immersion: Creating a Summer Orientation Program for Incoming 2- to 4-Year STEM Transfer Students. Community College Journal of Research and Practice.
Hess, R. A., Erickson, O. A., Cole, R. B., Isaacs, J. M., Branchaw, J., Smith, A., & et al,. (2023). Virtually the same? Evaluating the effectiveness of remote undergraduate research experiences, 22(2). CBE–Life Sciences Education.
Erickson, O., Cole, R., Isaacs, J., Branchaw, J., Smith, A., & et al,. (2022). “How do we do this at a distance?!” A descriptive study of remote undergraduate research programs during COVID-19, 21(1). CBE–Life Sciences Education.
Branchaw, J., Butz, A., & Smith, A. (2020). Entering Research: A Curriculum to Support Undergraduate and Graduate Research Trainees. Macmillan.
Branchaw, J., Butz, A., & Smith, A. (2020). Evaluation of Entering Research: A Customizable Curriculum for Undergraduate and Graduate Research Training Programs and Courses, 19(1). CBE–Life Sciences Education.