Danielle Liubicich, PhD

Danielle has dedicated her career to increasing student access, persistence, and success in STEM programs.  Prior to coming to UIC as the Director of the Math and Science Learning Center (MSLC), she served in a variety of professional roles ranging from interdisciplinary course coordinator, to tenured, community-college faculty member, and Dean of a STEM Center for Teaching and Learning.  Over the past 15 years working in higher education, Danielle has taught various biological science courses at 2-year and 4-year institutions, launched a campus-wide initiative to incorporate undergraduate research into introductory STEM curriculum (CUREs), strengthened the K-12 to college pipeline through outreach programs she fostered, and facilitated professional development workshops for STEM educators at various career stages.  Her scientific training was in the field of evolutionary developmental biology, and she earned a Ph.D. in Integrative Biology from the University of California, Berkeley, a M.Sc. in Developmental Biology from the University of Chicago, and B.S. in Biology with a Math minor from Fairfield University.  She was the recipient of Fulbright (Australia) and NSF (GRFP) student research fellowships, served on leadership teams for various institution-wide grants including NSF S-STEM, was the project director for Department of Education HSI and PBI STEM grants, and has experience in public science communication.

Grateful for the outstanding adventures and opportunities her biological science training and research offered, Danielle continues to focus on initiatives that provide students exceptional learning experiences.  Together with a talented staff team, she currently leads MSLC which provides a welcoming study environment, sense of community, and equitable academic support for students, including a Peer Learning Assistant program in collaboration with faculty across various departments.  She has collaborated with colleagues on Student Success Innovation Fund and LAS Diversity Initiative Projects, served on the launch committee for UIC’s Center for the Advancement of Teaching Excellence (CATE), and recently completed the CATE Inclusive Education Scholars Certificate Program.  She looks forward to continuing to learn and further develop the Peer Learning Assistant program while partnering with STEM instructors throughout curriculum updates.

Off-campus, you may find Danielle volunteering, cheering, or coaching at various paratriathlon / triathlon endurance events or exploring a new trail somewhere!