Rate My Professor Karen Graham

Dr. Karen Graham is Professor and Chair of the Department of Mathematics and Statistics in the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences at the University of New Hampshire. She earned a Ph.D. in Mathematics from the University of New Hampshire, an M.S. in Mathematics from the University of New Hampshire, an M.A. in Mathematics from the State University of New York at Cortland, and a B.A. in Mathematics from the State University of New York at Cortland. Graham joined the UNH faculty in 1987, following teaching positions at Western Michigan University in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics and at Pine Plains Central School District in New York. Her research focuses on the teaching and learning of undergraduate mathematics, particularly concepts in pre-calculus and calculus, and on mathematics teacher development. She has served as dissertation advisor to thirteen Ph.D. graduates since joining UNH and is currently working with two Ph.D. candidates.

In addition to her faculty role, Graham was the inaugural director of the Joan and James Leitzel Center for Mathematics, Science, and Engineering Education from 2002 to 2012 and currently holds the title of Director Emerita. She has been a member of the NSF-funded UNH ADVANCE leadership team since 2008 and serves as the program's Executive Director. Graham served on the Board of Directors of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics from 2013 to 2015 and chaired the writing task force for the NCTM publication Catalyzing Change in High School Mathematics: Initiating Critical Conversations. She has been principal investigator on grants including Evaluation of EDC Project - Linear Alg and Geom (2007–2014) and Making Mathematical Connections (1998–2000), and co-investigator on projects such as STEM Gateway Teaching (2020–2025) and NSF-ADVANCE UNH UNBIASED (Co-PI). Key publications include Shea et al., Interactive theater: an effective tool to reduce gender bias in faculty searches (Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, 2019) and Shea et al., Recognizing and Intervening in Bias Incidents in the Academic Workplace (ADVANCE Journal, 2018). Graham has served as president of the New Hampshire Teachers of Mathematics and the Association of Teachers of Mathematics in New England.