09/25/2026
By Amanda Vozzo

Eleanor Sayre, co-director of the Professional Development for Emerging Education Researchers (PEER) Institute, will give a talk on “Clarity, Coherence and Compliance.”

  • Date: Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026
  • Time: 3:30 – 4:30 p.m.
  • Location: Olsen Hall 503

Abstract

What makes grant proposals successful? I’ve read hundreds of grant proposals, and there are strong themes that separate funded ones from the rest. Clarity: What do you want to do? How? Why? Coherence: How does your project hang together intellectually and logistically? Compliance: Does your project adhere to the ideas and rules in the solicitation? This talk is focused on education research projects at the NSF, but it’s appropriate for new PIs in any field.

Bio

Dr. Eleanor Sayre received her B.A. in physics from Grinnell College in 2002, her M.S. in Teaching – Physics from the University of Maine in 2005 and her Ph.D. in physics from the University of Maine in 2007. She was a program director for the Division of Undergraduate Education/Directorate for STEM Education at the National Science Foundation (NSF) from 2022–2025. She was also a professor of physics at Kansas State University from 2020–2025 and the assistant dean and director of the Office of Academic Integrity at the University of Rochester in 2025. She is a fellow of the American Physical Society and has about 100 peer-reviewed publications in discipline-based education research. She also served as the research director of PhysPort, the leading resource for evidence-based pedagogy and assessment in physics, from 2012–2023. She currently co-directs the Professional Development for Emerging Education Researchers (PEER) Institute. The PEER Institute runs intensive one- to two-week workshops to help STEM faculty and graduate students develop skills, community and self-efficacy in discipline-based education research and the scholarship of teaching and learning. She has a proven track record managing multiple programs and projects, specializing in STEM education, international collaboration, and training and development. She is a strong believer in inclusive excellence, actively seeking diverse domain expertise and articulating a compelling vision that resonates across disciplines.