I am a doctoral candidate in Curriculum & Instruction – Workforce Education at the University of South Florida, with a research focus on equity, organisational systems, and inclusive education. My academic foundation includes an MA in Career and Technical Education (4.0 GPA), alongside Level 9 certifications in Qualitative Research, Women and Gender Studies, and Diversity in Education. My dissertation, “Dismantling the Walls: Understanding the Lived Experiences of Gender Diverse Workforce Students,” reflects my commitment to transformative, mixed-methods inquiry and social justice.

Over the past five years, I have contributed to interdisciplinary research across public health, education, and social marketing. As a Fulbright US-Ireland Research Scholar at the University of Limerick’s European Centre for the Study of Hate, I collaborated on national and international projects including:

• Belong To Study – qualitative research on gender-diverse youth and faculty experiences across Ireland

• Junior Certification Evaluation – arts-based analysis of student experiences with standardized exams

• Epi#STEM Curriculum Reimagining – feminist approaches to science education reform

I currently serve as a Research Assistant on the Power to Change project at Atlantic Technological University, where I’ve authored the Tree Trails Manual, updated the Environmental Toolkit, and designed a 12-week Social Marketing Workshop Series and MOOC for community development groups. I also contribute to research at UL’s Epi-STEM National Centre for STEM Education, supporting literature reviews, theoretical mapping, and manuscript development.

My research management experience includes coordinating deliverables, maintaining documentation, and contributing to grant-funded projects such as the $300,000 W.K. Kellogg Foundation initiative and the Florida Commuter Assistance Program Evaluation. I’ve served as a study coordinator for CDC-funded work on disease intervention competencies and contributed to vaccine hesitancy studies with Maynooth University and the Florida Department of Health.

I am proficient in Atlas.ti, NVivo, MaxQDA, LM Notebook, SPSS, EndNote, and Qualtrics, and have conducted thematic analysis, coding, and synthesis for peer-reviewed publications. My work has appeared in the Journal of Social Marketing and is forthcoming in Global Heart and Case Studies in Transport Policy. I also presented workshops, papers and posters for national and international conferences.

I actively contribute to UL’s research culture through presentations at UL Research Week, Graduate Research Symposium, and departmental seminars. I’ve chaired and presented at ESAI, AERA, BERA, SERA, APHA, and the World Social Marketing Conference, and received awards including the Fulbright US-Ireland Research Award, the Social Marketing Association of North America Research Silver Award, and the Association for Commuter Transportation Excellence in Research Award Finalist.

My research interests include organisational systems in healthcare and public health, social marketing, participatory methods, arts-based inquiry, and the intersection of equity and innovation. I am deeply committed to collaborative scholarship, ethical research practice, and the translation of findings into accessible formats that inform policy and empower communities.

s an interdisciplinary educator and doctoral candidate in Workforce Education, my teaching interests center on inclusive curriculum design, qualitative research methods, and the empowerment of marginalized learners across educational and healthcare contexts. I bring a values-driven approach to teaching that integrates social justice, participatory learning, and real-world application.

My pedagogical foundation is rooted in Career and Technical Education, with advanced training in Diversity in Education, Women and Gender Studies, and Qualitative Inquiry. I have taught and facilitated workshops across secondary, postsecondary, and community settings, including:

• Qualitative Research Methods – thematic analysis, arts-based inquiry, and participatory approaches

• Equity in Education – inclusive pedagogy, intersectionality, and culturally responsive teaching

• Workforce Development & Career Readiness – curriculum design, employability skills, and reflective practice

• Social Marketing & Community Engagement – behavior change theory, outreach strategies, and co-creation

• Research Ethics & Data Governance – policy compliance, informed consent, and ethical dilemmas in practice

I am passionate about creating learning environments that honor lived experience, foster critical reflection, and support diverse ways of knowing. My teaching integrates creative modalities such as poetry, visual mapping, and storytelling, particularly when working with underrepresented groups or in cross-cultural contexts.

I have designed and delivered professional development for educators, community leaders, and researchers, including a 12-week Social Marketing Workshop Series and MOOC for the Power to Change project. I also contribute to curriculum development at UL’s Epi-STEM Centre, supporting feminist and inclusive approaches to science education.

My teaching philosophy is collaborative, dialogic, and grounded in empowerment. I aim to cultivate spaces where students feel seen, heard, and equipped to challenge systemic inequities through inquiry and action. Whether mentoring doctoral researchers or facilitating community-based learning, I strive to bridge theory and practice in ways that are transformative and accessible.

PhD candidate and former Fulbright USA-Ireland Research awardee Dove Wimbish (she/her), MA (CTE), CQR, CWGS, CDE, is a Research Assistant with Limerick University's Epi*STEM National Centre for Science Education and Atlantic Technical University's Power to Change project, and a former graduate research assistant with the University of South Florida's College of Public Health where she worked on curriculum modules for the Disease Intervention Specialist Training Academy and managed research for the ASPPH project. With specialties in Workforce Education Curriculum and Instruction, Gender & Diversity in Education and the Workplace, Social Marketing, and Qualitative Research, she has passion for any project which uses Arts-Based Research for social justice change advocacy in education, especially where intersectionality, gender and equity meet. She is a veteran teacher of over 30 years, having taught all grades from PreK-University, both in a classroom and online in the US, in subjects ranging from English to Diversity in the Schools and Workplace. In addition to authoring several articles for peer reviewed journals in various stages of refinement for the University of South Florida, her recent projects include a qualitative approach to HPV hesitancy funded by the Irish Science Foundation at Maynooth University, qualitative analysis for the Irish State Examinations Commission's recent Junior Certificate Evaluation project, transcription services and survey refinement for a BelongTo funded LGBTQ+ project with the European Center for the Study of Hate at Limerick University, theory research and collaboration on a paper reimaginging Science Education with the Epistemology-STEM department at Limerick University, and production of education resources for the Power to Change project at Atlantic Technological Institute. Additionally, she functions in various roles for the American Educational Research Association, the Educational Studies Association of Ireland, the British Educational Research Association, the Scottish Educational Research Association, and the European Research Union. Her qualitative wheelhouse includes ABR, phenomenology, interpretive narrative inquiry, autoethnography, videography, and geospatial methods. Quantitatively, she specialises in survey methods. When she isn't trying to save the world through research, she enjoys playing with her granddaughter, playing and singing traditional folk music, writing poetry, painting in oils, traveling, and attending conferences to present and experience new cultures and ways of thinking (often!).