Professor of Chemistry

Ph.D. Chemistry | University of Colorado - Boulder, 2007

Jack received a dual Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry and Chemistry Education from the University of Colorado. He studied femtosecond spectroscopy under the supervision of W. Carl Lineberger (Chemistry) and conducted research in chemistry education under the direction of Carl E. Wieman (Physics).

Jack began his faculty career at Northern Arizona University (Flagstaff) in 2007. In order to build a Chemistry Education Research (CER) group and train/mentor doctoral students, he moved to the University of Northern Colorado (Greeley) in 2009. To expand his CER pursuits, he moved his group to Portland State University in 2015.

When not seeking academic pursuits, Jack can be found hurling himself and his mountain bike down many of the trails in the pacific northwest.

email: jack.barbera@pdx.edu

Google scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=snqR8D0AAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao

The dream of the 90's is alive in Portland - video

J.D.'s passion for chemistry education began during her undergraduate research with CIRCLE at Washington University in St. Louis. After earning a BA in Chemistry and a BA in Educational Studies, she pursued a Ph.D. in Chemistry with the Scott Lewis group at the University of South Florida, focusing on research areas such as sense of belonging, Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL), and students' AI literacy. Outside of academics, J.D. enjoys playing volleyball, curling up with a book alongside her cat, and visiting her friends and family.

email: jessicay@pdx.edu

linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-young-3679b4247/

Rachael is a Ph.D. student after earning a degree in chemistry at Georgia State University. Throughout her undergrad she developed an interest in educational research, and she is currently interested in the connections between students' goals and how they use online homework systems. When she isn't in the office you can find her watching movies with her cat, Olive.

email: rmayhew@pdx.edu

Sarah graduated from Chapman University in 2023 with a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. After working on various research projects in undergrad and participating in a REU at RIT, Sarah discovered her passion for chemistry education research. Her current research focuses on building students’ self-efficacy by creating opportunities in General Chemistry that help students master math skills and apply them more effectively to chemistry problems. Outside of academics, you can find Sarah at the beach, playing soccer, skiing, crafting, line dancing, or cooking Syrian food! 

email: sabdo@pdx.edu | X: @sarah_abdo17

Courtney graduated from the University of California, Riverside with a Bachelors of Science in Biochemistry and a minor in Education. During her time at UCR, Courtney worked with Dr. Jack Eichler investigating the efficacy of online simulations in teaching general chemistry topics. Courtney also assisted in Dr. Kinnari Atit’s STEM Teaching and Learning Lab conducting research regarding the use of targeted formative assessment feedback in helping students better understand general chemistry topics. In her spare time, Courtney loves to read, watch sports, be outside, and spend time with her friends and family.

email: courtmur@pdx.edu

Adriana graduated with honors from the University of California at Irvine in 2010 with a B.S. in Chemistry and a minor in Criminology, Law and Society. She spent a year post-graduation working in the raw materials lab of the Quality Assurance and Quality Control department of Nurilite, the world’s #1 selling vitamin and dietary supplement brand. In 2011, she began pursuing a Ph.D. in Inorganic Chemistry at Texas A&M University. During her time in the Department of Chemistry at TAMU, she discovered her love for the teaching and learning of chemistry and decided to incorporate education into her graduate studies. She earned an M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction with a focus on Science Education from TAMU in 2013 and continued her work pursuing a Ph.D. As of 2017, she was a Ph.D. candidate, but had moved to the Portland, Oregon area. Her life took a turn towards teaching chemistry at PCC and PSU and she, unfortunately, discontinued her work on her Ph.D. After 8 years of teaching, she has returned to her graduate studies to complete her Ph.D. with Dr. Jack Barbera. She is looking forward to using the knowledge she has gained in the classroom to inform her research on the teaching and learning of dimensional analysis in introductory STEM courses.

She has been married to her husband, whom she met in graduate school, since 2013 and has since welcomed two children into their family. When she isn’t working as a teacher, researcher, or mom, she enjoys cooking (and eating!), gardening, and going on adventures with her family! 

email: arl6@pdx.edu

Leo, an international student, joined PSU in 2022 right after graduating high school in Vietnam. He's working toward a Bachelor's degree in biochemistry and hopes to be admitted into a medical school. With a passion for medicine, Leo is interested in how chemistry education, a vital part of pre-med, can be further improved to help like-minded peers push through the chemistry barrier to pursue their goals. When not stressing out about practically everything, he enjoys gaming (just Minecraft, really), thrifting, and occasional bouldering, while also trying new things such as reading and hiking.

Lauren graduated from West Salem High School with Honors in 2022. She is currently enrolled in the Honor's College at Portland State University where she is working towards a Bachelor's of science in Psychology on the pre-medical track with aspirations to becoming a neurosurgeon. When Lauren isn't busy with her studies, she enjoys spending time with friends and family, snuggling with her cat Figaro, and listening to music by Stray Kids and BTS.

L is a junior Chemistry major in the PSU Honors College. In her time as a Learning Assistant for General Chemistry in the 2024-25 school year, she found passion in connecting with fellow students and began to explore an interest in Chemistry Education. In addition to her studies, L is a student employee with the PSU Sciences and works as an embedded tutor for General Chemistry. In her free time, L likes to train Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, swim in lakes and rivers, and attend heavy metal concerts.