In the second edition of our researcher spotlight series, we introduce you to five more researcher-educators doing great work in promoting the scholarship of teaching and learning in psychology. For each researcher-educator, we have provided a small biography and links to some of their work so that you can go learn more.

1)      Pooja Agarwal @PoojaAgarwal

Pooja K. Agarwal, Ph.D. is an expert in the field of cognitive science, passionate about bridging gaps between education and the science of learning. She has conducted research on learning in K-12 public schools for more than 15 years and is the Founder of RetrievalPractice.org, a hub of research, resources, and teaching strategies based on the science of learning.

2)      Doug Rohrer

Dr. Doug Rohrer is a Professor of Psychology at the University of South Florida. Dr. Rohrer’s research examines and assesses the effectiveness of various learning strategies—particularly those used in mathematics learning and problem solving—with the goal of identifying pedagogical techniques that improve students’ long-term retention of information learned in school. For more information about Doug’s research visit his website.

3)      Roddy Roediger

Dr. Henry L. Roediger, III is a cognitive psychologist recognized for his work on human learning and memory. He is known for developing techniques to study false memories, the power of retrieval practice in enhancing learning and retention, and a theory to explain differences observed between explicit and implicit memory tests. Dr. Roediger has served as President of the Association for Psychological Science and several other organizations of psychologists. He received the William James Lifetime Achievement Award from APS as well as numerous other awards. For information about Roddy’s research, visit his lab website.

4)      Shana Carpenter

Dr. Shana Carpenter is an Associate Professor in Psychology at Iowa State University. She has always been interested in how memory works and how we can improve it. In her lab at Iowa State, she is working on a number of studies that explore basic memory principles, and how these principles can be applied toward improving education and training. For more information about Shana’s research, visit her website.

5)      Robert Bjork

Dr. Robert Bjork is Distinguished Research Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles. His research focuses on human learning and memory and on the implications of the science of learning for instruction and training.  He is a past president or chair of the American Psychological Society (APS); the Western Psychological Association; the Psychonomic Society; the Society of Experimental Psychologists; the Council of Editors of the American Psychological Association (APA); and the Council of Graduate Departments of Psychology.  He is a recipient of the American Psychological Association’s Distinguished Service to Psychological Science Award among many others. For more information about Bob’s research visit his lab website.

Every Sunday, we pick a theme and provide a curated list of links. If you have a theme suggestion, please don’t hesitate to contact us! Occasionally we publish a guest digest, and If you'd like to propose a guest digest click here. Our 5 most recent digests can be found here:

Weekly Digest #130: SoTL Researcher Spotlight

Weekly Digest #131: Increasing Grading/Marking Efficiency

Weekly Digest #132: Dual Coding, Visual Note Taking, and Sketchnoting

Weekly Digest #133: Technology for Math Learning

Weekly Digest #134: How to Sleep Well