Erin Dolan, Ph.D

Professor 

Eldolan at uga.edu

Erin Dolan is a Professor of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology and Georgia Athletic Association Professor of Innovative Science Education at the University of Georgia. As a graduate student in Neuroscience at University of California San Francisco, she volunteered extensively in K-12 schools, which prompted her to pursue a career in biology education. She teaches introductory biology, and her research group works to delineate the features of undergraduate and graduate research that influence students' career decisions, including the influence of research mentorship.

Marie Delcy                                                                              

PhD Student

Marie.Delcy at uga.edu

Marie Delcy is a PhD student in the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology program at the University of Georgia. She earned her bachelor’s degree in biology with a concentration in Health Science at Fort Valley State University. In the SPREE Lab, their research interests focus on improving STEM mentorship and retention by examining how deep-level psychological similarities between mentors and mentees influence the quality of their relationships. She aims to develop and test interventions that strengthen these connections to enhance undergraduate research experiences. She is also interested in how early-career researchers proactively shape their roles through job crafting to support their well-being and persistence in academia. Through this work, she seek to bridge psychological theory, education research, and practical application to inform inclusive, evidence-based practices.

William (Nathan) Lantz

PhD Student

wnlantz at uga.edu

Nathan Lantz is a PhD student in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. He is leveraging his 15 years working with undergraduates as a rowing coach and his STEM background to produce new insights related to undergraduate biology teaching, learning, and career development. He also hopes to find ways to use informatics, statistics, and AI tools to advance analytic approaches in discipline-based education research. His initial work is related to course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) with a focus on critical analysis of research on CURE instruction.

Megna Tiwari

Postdoctoral Researcher 

megna.tiwari at uga.edu

Megna Tiwari earned her PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Georgia, where as a T32 fellow her research focused on the glycobiology of pathogenic parasites and protists. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Biology at the University of California, Riverside and a thesis-based Master’s in Cell and Molecular Biology at California State University, Fullerton. As a postdoctoral researcher in the SPREE lab, she is developing educational resources as part of the NSF-funded BioF:GREAT initiative. BioF:GREAT aims to democratize glycoscience by broadening use of glycoscience by practicing scientists and broadening awareness and understanding of glycoscience for a wide audience, including scientists, students, and the public.

SPREE Team end of semester celebration