Skip to main content

Julie Reynolds

Professor of the Practice in the Department of Biology
Biology
Box 90338, Durham, NC 27708-0038
130 Science Drive, 034 Biological Sciences Bldg, Durham, NC 27708

Overview


Julie Reynolds has a Ph.D. in biology but, through a series of unexpected events, became an expert in writing pedagogies. She spent 5 years learning to teach writing as a postdoctoral fellow in Duke University’s first-year writing program before transitioning to the biology department where she has taught science writing and writing-intensive courses to thousands of undergraduates and graduate students. With over a decade of funding from the National Science Foundation, her disciplinary-based education research has focused on how writing assignments can promote deep, conceptual learning, especially in large science courses. Dr. Reynolds is also a writing coach and has helped hundreds of scientists across the country to increase their productivity while reducing stress associated with writing.

Office Hours


Please use this link to schedule an appointment with me

Current Appointments & Affiliations


Professor of the Practice in the Department of Biology · 2024 - Present Biology, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences

In the News


Published February 3, 2025
Celebrating Duke’s New Full Professors

View All News

Recent Publications


Diversity of undergraduates in STEM courses: individual and demographic differences in changes in self-efficacy, epistemic beliefs, and intrapersonal attribute profiles

Journal Article Studies in Higher Education · January 1, 2024 Across undergraduate STEM learning contexts in several countries, students’ intrapersonal attributes of epistemic beliefs, self-efficacy beliefs, intrinsic motivation, and sense of identity have been found to influence learning and to change in response to ... Full text Open Access Cite

Beyond Content, Understanding What Makes Test Questions Most Challenging

Journal Article BioScience · March 1, 2023 When students answer test questions incorrectly, we often assume they don’t understand the content; instead, they may struggle with certain cognitive skills or with how questions are asked. Our goal was to look beyond content to understand what makes asses ... Full text Cite

Postsecondary Faculty Attitudes and Beliefs about Writing-Based Pedagogies in the STEM Classroom.

Journal Article CBE life sciences education · September 2022 Writing is an important skill for communicating knowledge in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and an aid to developing students' communication skills, content knowledge, and disciplinary thinking. Despite the importance of writing, ... Full text Open Access Cite
View All Publications

Recent Grants


Collaborative Research: Accelerating the Pace of Research and Implementation of Writing-to-Learn Pedagogies Across STEM Disciplines

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Science Foundation · 2015 - 2021

The COMPASS PROJECT

ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by Howard Hughes Medical Institute · 2014 - 2020

Determining the relative impact of community, mentoring, and research on STEM persistence and literacy

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Howard Hughes Medical Institute · 2015 - 2018

View All Grants

Education, Training & Certifications


University of California, Berkeley · 2001 Ph.D.
University of California, Davis · 1994 M.S.
Pomona College · 1990 B.A.