2025 Susan Gay Travel Scholarship Recipient
Sheida Moghtader Eslami
Biography
I am Sheida Moghtader Eslami, a PhD student in Mathematics Education at the University of Florida. I am involved in various research groups, which have broadened my knowledge and experience. One of the projects I am currently working on is a lesson study for preservice teachers, developed by a team of graduate students under the supervision of Dr. Melissa Soto. I am also actively engaged in the National Science Foundation funded Equitable and Interactive Mathematical Modeling (EIM2) project, where we design socially relevant mathematical tasks for secondary school students and implement them in focus groups, Professional Learning Communities, and classrooms. Before starting my PhD, I worked for five years as an instructional designer and completed my master’s degree in Entrepreneurship Education and my bachelor’s in Computer Science. I also spent over ten years tutoring mathematics, which gave me valuable teaching experience and contributed to my career path. I am passionate about interdisciplinary research in mathematics teacher education. I believe that integrating topics such as technology, financial literacy, and social issues into K-12 education begins by working closely with teachers.