Dr. Lili Zhou earned her Ph.D. degree in mathematics education from Purdue University, and an M.S. in mathematics from Beijing University of Technology. Her research interests lie in the areas of and intersections between curriculum studies, informal mathematics/STEM education, and teacher education. Dr. Zhou's mission as a researcher and teacher educator is to contribute to a broader understanding of mathematics and promote social justice in education.
In her experiences with learning mathematics, teaching mathematics, and conducting research in mathematics education, Dr. Zhou consistently reflect on the gatekeeper role of mathematics, wondering who has a key to access the gate and who does not. After ten years of secondary mathematics teaching and five years of college-level teaching, providing culturally responsive mathematics pedagogy while creating equitable learning environments for students remains her primary teaching goal. As a researcher and educator, she continues working hard to promote equity and social justice in mathematics education. Dr. Zhou's teaching, research, and service align with her mission as a researcher and teacher educator to value individuals’ classroom experiences and their experiences in other social and cultural communities and commit to promoting equitable learning opportunities for diverse communities, especially for students from historically underrepresented groups.
Besides her "formal" profession, Dr. Zhou also leads an afterschool club for girls, call GEMS, to increase their interests in math/STEM. She often find ideas related to math and science in everyday life and bring them to the club. Girls can see the different side of math and they love it!
For more information about Dr. Zhou, please visit: https://zhoulili756.wixsite.com/math