Lisa Dieker

Dr. Lisa Dieker, is the Williamson Family Distinguished Professor of Special Education in the School of Education and Human Sciences at the University of Kansas (KU). She serves as the Director of a Center in the Assessment and Achievement Institute called FLITE (flexible learning through innovations in teaching and education). Dr. Dieker’s research focuses on harnessing the power of teachers working across disciplines in the general education setting, focusing on teacher education, special education, and innovative technology uses. Before KU she was a Pegasus Professor at the University of Central Florida, where she served as the Lockheed Martin Eminent Scholar, directing the Lockheed Martin/UCF Mathematics and Science Academy, which produced over 500 teacher leaders in STEM. She also served as the co-coordinator for the Ph.D. program in special education, advising over 100 students. In her role as Co-Director of the UCF Center for Research in Education Simulation Technology (CREST), she and two colleagues created a widely used tool to prepare teachers and leaders using a mixed reality simulator called TeachLivE™, now commercialized by Mursion. Currently at KU, she co-leads two U.S. Department of Education Office of Special Education Stepping Up grants to create a data tagging tool and to harvest resources to support STEM coaches working with special education teachers. In partnership with a public charter school district, the second project is creating an AI agent combined with biometrics to support students with disabilities in STEM. She has managed over 60 grants from state, local, national, international, and foundation sources, amounting to more than $25M. She has provided over 150 keynotes, produced seven books and over 100 articles and chapters, and served as an editor for four journals in the field. She holds six patents in simulation and education. She has served as the national conference Co-Chair for the Council for Exceptional Children and in an elected position on the Innovation and Technology Committee for the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education and on eight journal review boards. She has been awarded the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC): the Children Advocacy Network Advocate of the Year Award; the Romaine P. Mackie Award from the Division of Legacy and Leadership (DLL); the Outstanding Service Award and the Outstanding Journal Article Award from Teacher Education Division (TED), the UCF Graduate Student Mentor of the Year Award, and the University of Illinois and Eastern Illinois University Outstanding Alumni of the Year Awards.