Rate My Professor Donna Stokes

Donna Stokes is a Professor of Physics at the University of Houston and Associate Dean for Undergraduate Affairs and Student Success in the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics. She earned her B.S. in Physics from Southern University, a Historically Black College and University, and both her M.S. and Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Houston. After completing her doctorate, she served as a postdoctoral researcher at the Naval Research Laboratory, supported by a National Research Council Post-Doctoral Associateship award in 1998. She joined the University of Houston Department of Physics as an Assistant Professor in 2000, advancing through the ranks to full Professor. Additional roles include Undergraduate Academic Advisor since 2006, Faculty Advisor for the Society of Physics Students since 2006, and Faculty Advisor for the Astronomy Society since 2017.

Donna Stokes' research interests encompass the structural and optical properties of semiconductor materials for infrared detectors and lasers, utilizing FTIR spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction, as well as physics education research focused on preparing secondary science and mathematics teachers and enhancing student success in physics through inquiry-based strategies. She received the National Science Foundation CAREER Award in 2003, University of Houston Provost Academic Advising Award in 2011, University of Houston Group Teaching Excellence Award in 2017, and was named a Fellow of the American Physical Society Physics Teacher Education Coalition in 2017. In 2025, she was honored with the Presidential Award for Excellence in STEM Mentoring. Key publications include "Propagation of THz acoustic wave packets in GaN at room temperature" (Applied Physics Letters, 2018), "Math Remediation Intervention for Student Success in the Algebra-Based Introductory Physics Course" (Physical Review Physics Education Research, 2017), "The influence of parents on undergraduate and graduate students’ entering the STEM disciplines and STEM careers" (International Journal of Science Education, 2018), "Effect of strain on the growth of InAs/GaSb superlattices: An x-ray diffraction study" (Journal of Applied Physics, 2010), and "Short Period InAs/GaSb superlattices for mid-infrared photodetectors" (Physica Status Solidi, 2007). Stokes contributes to outreach through physics demonstrations at camps and events and holds memberships in organizations such as the American Physical Society, American Association of Physics Teachers, and National Society of Black Physicists.