Troy D. Sadler, Ph.D., the UNC School of Education’s Thomas James Distinguished Professor of Experiential Learning, has been selected president-elect of NARST, a worldwide organization for improving science teaching and learning through research and the most prominent international association of science education researchers in the world.
Sadler, who has been an active member of NARST for 25 years, will serve as a member of the presidential team for three years. He will be installed as NARST president in 2027, at the 100th annual meeting of the association.
“I am honored to have been elected by my peers and colleagues to serve in this leadership role. NARST has been an important professional community for me throughout my career, and I am happy to have an opportunity to contribute in this way. ” Sadler said. “Now, as much as any time in the past, we need healthy professional associations that support scholars, advocate for research, and disseminate evidence-based knowledge and information. My goal is to help NARST continue to advance the science education community in these ways.”
Sadler has held more than a dozen roles – including member, chair, and ex officio member – on NARST boards and committees, including the Executive Board, Early Career Research Award Committee, and Research Committee, among others. He served as a senior researcher and mentor for the Linking Science Education Program (LSEP) at the University of Jember, Indonesia, from 2024-2025, and was NARST liaison to the National Science Teachers Association from 2011-2012.
From 2020-2025, Sadler served as an editor-in-chief, with Felicia Moore Mensah of Teachers College at Columbia University, of the Journal of Research in Science Teaching — the leading academic journal in the field of science education and NARST’s flagship journal. He served as an associate editor of JRST from 2015-2019 and co-edited the 2018 JRST special issue titled “A critical examination of the Next Generation Science Standards.”
“This is an incredible recognition for Troy and reflects the esteem his professional peers hold for him,” said Jill V. Hamm, dean of the UNC School of Education and William C. Friday Distinguished Professor of Education. “He’s a true leader in research, in mentorship to future scholars, and in service to his field and colleagues, and I’m certain his leadership role at NARST will benefit science education research and the educators and students it serves.”