Lisa McNair
Papers
1
Total Citations
13
H-Index
1
About
Lisa McNair is a leading scholar in engineering education, whose work critically examines the intersections of interdisciplinary collaboration, pedagogy, and professional identity formation. Her research centers on understanding how engineers learn and work across disciplinary boundaries, with a particular focus on the cognitive and social dynamics of design teams. Her most-cited paper, “Outside the ‘comfort zone’: impacts of interdisciplinary research collaboration on research, pedagogy, and disciplinary knowledge production” (2015, 13 citations), offers a compelling case study of an engineering design initiative to build an unmanned underwater robot. Through in-depth interviews with faculty and student participants, McNair reveals how stepping beyond disciplinary silos reshapes not only research outcomes but also teaching practices and the very nature of knowledge production. This work has become a touchstone for scholars exploring the real-world challenges and transformative potential of interdisciplinary STEM education. By foregrounding the human and pedagogical dimensions of collaboration, McNair has provided a vital framework for designing more effective, inclusive, and innovative engineering programs—making her a key voice in the ongoing effort to reform how future engineers are trained.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1