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Faculty Bio

Dr. Anila Asghar is an Assistant Professor at the School of Education, The Johns Hopkins University. Her work focuses on cognitive and emotional development, science/STEM education reform; science, religion, and culture; and developing scaffolded contexts for faculty development.

To contact Dr. Asghar, please call 410-516-5264 or email her at anila.asghar@jhu.edu.

Faculty CV

Education

Postdoctoral Fellowship, Science, Religion, and Culture, McGill University

Ed.D., Science Education and Cognitive Development, Harvard University

M.Ed., Mind, Brain and Education, Harvard University

M.A., Science Education, Teachers College, Columbia University

M.S., Zoology, Government College, Punjab University, Lahore, Pakistan

Professional Experience

Assistant Professor, School of Education, Johns Hopkins University, 2006-Present

Instructor, Department of Integrated Studies in Education, Faculty of Education, McGill University, 2004-05

Research Assistant, 1999-2004 & Researcher, 2004-2006, Science Education Department, Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Harvard University

Lecturer & Chair, 1995-1998, Assistant Professor, 1997-1998, Science Education Department, Ali Institute of Education, Lahore, Pakistan

Scholarly/Research Interests

STEM education, interactions among science; culture, and religion in Islamic societies; conceptual change through effective science instruction; enacting scaffolded contexts for developing educational leaders; conflict resolution, peace studies, and human rights issues; and education reform in developing countries.

Selected Funded Projects

“Mathematics and Science Teacher-Leaders Institute.” (Asghar, Co-PI). Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) ITQ-07-505 (12/01/06 - 11/30/2009). Award amount: $334,001

“The Johns Hopkins University Secondary Support Initiative (JHUSSI).” (Dr. Rosenberg, PI; Asghar, Collaorator/Content Specialist). US Department of Education (2009 – 2014). Award amount: $500,000.

“Theistic, Agnostic, and Atheistic Notions of Biological Evolution in Islamic Societies Exploring Muslim Teachers', Students', and Parents' Understanding of Evolution.” (Dr. Alters, PI; Asghar, Collaborating Researcher) (04-2005-03/2009), Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), Canada. Award amount: $175,000.

Selected Consultations

Consultant, Seeds of Peace, New York, USA: Facilitated sessions and conducted research on effective communication and co-existence between Indian and Pakistani youth, women, administrators, and teachers in the US, India and Pakistan, 2001-2006.

Consultant, Higher Education Commission (HEC), Pakistan. Designed and implemented a professional development program focusing on social science research methods for faculty members of various public sector universities in Pakistan, June 2005.

Consultant, Education Sector Reform Program (ESRA), Pakistan, Assisted in the evaluation of professional development programs and policies at various public and private sector teacher education institutions, July/August 2003.

Selected Publications

Asghar, A. (2009). Teachers' leadership in promoting effective science education. In I. M. Saleh & M. S. Khine (Eds.), Fostering scientific habits of mind: pedagogical knowledge and best practices in science education. Rotterdam, Netherlands: Sense Publishers.

Asghar, A., Wiles, J. R. & Alters, B. (2007). Discovering international perspectives on biological evolution across religions and cultures. International Journal of Diversity in Organizations, Communities, and Nations, 6(4): 81-88.

Asghar, A. Wiles, J. R. & Alters, B. (2007). Canadian pre-service elementary teachers’ conceptions of biological evolution and evolution education. McGill Journal of Education, 42(2), 189-209.

Wiles, J., & Asghar, A. (2007). An effort to encourage dialogue around the teaching and learning of evolution. McGill Journal of Education, 42(2), 167-171.

Wiles, J., Asghar, A., & Alters, B. (2005). Evolution Education Research Centre (EERC). Humanist in Canada, 154, 10-13.

Chhabra, M. & Asghar, A. (2002). Emerging Narratives on the Indo-Pak Conflict: A Women's Initiative in the Direction of Peace. Journal for the Study of Peace and Conflict, 9-19. The Wisconsin Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies.

Chhabra, M. & Asghar, A. (2002). Development as peace: A vision of hope in the India-Pakistan conflict. Journal of Peacebuilding and Development, 1, 103-106.

Asghar, A. (1996). Environmental education in schools. Lahore: Ali Institute of Education.