Dr. Claire Meaders

Assistant Professor

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Biography

Clara (Claire) Meaders received her Ph.D. from Harvard University in the Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, where she studied the morphology and genetics of staminode development in the flowering plant Aquilegia. After completing her Ph.D., she shifted her focus to biology education research during her postdoctoral work at Cornell University. Currently, she is an Associate Teaching Professor at the University of California, San Diego, which she joined in 2020. Her research interests include understanding how student experiences in introductory STEM courses affect their motivation and retention in STEM majors. She employs a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods, such as surveys and observations, to investigate the impact of faculty teaching practices on student experiences. Meaders is also involved in a project exploring how faculty directly influence students' study habits in biology courses and is part of a team conducting a study that evaluates the effectiveness of using comics and trading cards to teach environmental conservation principles and to enhance middle school students' knowledge and attitudes toward the subject matter.

Research Interests

Requirements for University of California, San Diego

Doctorate Program
Requirements
GPA Requirement
Required:3
TOEFL
Total
Required:85
IELTS
Overall
Required:7
Duolingo
Overall Score
Required:120
Overall
Required:120
Prerequisites
Bachelor's degree in physical, biological, or earth sciences, mathematics, or engineering. Differential and integral calculus. One year of calculus-based physics with laboratory. One year of chemistry with laboratory.
Application Checklist
  • Statement of Purpose (max 2 pages)
  • Unofficial transcripts
  • Three letters of recommendation
  • Curriculum Vitae (CV)
  • Application fee ($135 domestic / $155 international)
Specialization Notes

Administered by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Curricular groups include Climate-Ocean-Atmosphere (COAP), Geosciences (GEO), and Ocean Biosciences (OBP).