Biography

Director, STEM Transformation Institute, an FIU Preeminent Program

and Associate Professor, Department of Physics

Florida International University

Academic Appointments
Director, STEM Transformation Institute, 2022-present.
Associate Professor, STEM Transformation Institute and Department of Physics, Florida International University, 2017-present.
Assistant Professor, STEM Transformation Institute and Department of Physics, Florida International University, 2014–2017.
Assistant Professor, Department of Engineering & Science Education and Department of Mathematical Sciences, Clemson University, 2008–2013.

Education
Postdoctoral Fellow, Curry School of Education, University of Virginia, 2006-2007.
PhD, University of Toronto (High Energy Physics), 2006.
MSc University of Toronto (High Energy Physics), 2001.
BSc, University of Waterloo, Honours Physics, 2000.

Geoff Potvin is Director of the STEM Transformation Institute and an Associate Professor in the Department of Physics at Florida International University, where he has been faculty since 2014. Previously, he was a professor in the Department of Engineering & Science Education at Clemson University from 2008 to 2013. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in physics from the University of Waterloo in 2000 and a Master’s (2001) and PhD (2006) from the University of Toronto, studying high energy theoretical physics (gravitational aspects of string theory). He then took a position as a postdoctoral researcher in the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia.

His research focuses on understanding student identities in physics and engineering as well as broadening participation in these fields. He is a researcher in the STEP UP project (stepupphysics.org) which aims to significantly increase the participation of women in undergraduate physics by supporting high school teachers to engage students in counter-narratives of physics. He is a founding steering committee member of the APS Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity Alliance (APS-IDEA). He previously served as a research consultant to the APS Bridge Program.

Dr. Potvin currently teaches Modern Physics and the Learning Assistant Seminar, has taught Modeling Instruction in introductory calculus-based physics using a studio-based environment and Learning Assistants, and has previously used both Peer Instruction (for algebra-based physics) and SCALE-UP (for introductory calculus) approaches in his teaching.

He has previously served as 2021 chair of the AAPT’s Committee on Graduate Education and as chair of the Physics Education Research Leadership Organizing Council (elected member 2018-2020, chair 2020), was a member of the AAPT Committee on Diversity in Physics (2014-2017),  the APS Forum on Education (2013-2016), and the National Association for Research in Science Teaching’s JRST Best Paper Award Committee (2011-2014).