Idalis Villanueva Alarcón
Biography
Idalis Villanueva Alarcón is a pioneering force in engineering education, recognized for her exceptional commitment to graduate student mentorship and innovative teaching methods. As former Director of the SHINE center at Utah State University, she developed groundbreaking approaches to engineering education research and introduced novel ways to study and apply evidenced-based teaching. Her work includes creating the first modular classroom for multi-modal research and establishing pathways for graduate students to become instructors of record. At the University of Florida, she co-led the approval of new M.S. and Ph.D. programs in engineering education and designed an award-winning online course. Villanueva Alarcón’s impact extends beyond the classroom through numerous publications, workshops, and talks aimed at advancing diversity and representation in STEM fields.
An IEEE Member, Villanueva Alarcón is Associate Chair and tenured Associate Professor, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA and is the 2025 recipient of the IEEE Leon K. Kirchmayer Graduate Teaching Award for "international leadership in diversifying graduate engineering education, mentorship, professional development, and impact spanning multiple disciplines."
