Nicole Weinberg, PhD (ABD) is from North Richland Hills, Texas. She has nearly ten years of experience in the education sector in the international contexts of the U.S., Tanzania, and the U.K.. A former early childhood teacher, Nicole is passionate about improving equity in teacher education programs, starting with reforming course curricula in their program of study. In her free time, Nicole enjoys traveling, reading, art-making, and spending time with her husband and two incredible pups.

Education

Nicole earned her Bachelor of Science and the Arts (BSA) in Human Development and Family Sciences from the University of Texas at Austin in 2018. During her undergraduate program, she studied abroad at University College London’s Institute of Education, where her emphasis was her psychology minor.

She returned to UCL’s Institue of Education in 2019 to complete her MA in Education, Health Promotion and International Development. Her MA dissertation was entitled, “Constructions of Wellbeing in Childhood and Issues of Participation: A Case Study of an East African Edutainment Initiative”.

Nicole is currently a doctoral candidate who has completed all coursework and qualifying exams (ABD) in Educational Studies - Curriculum Studies at Texas Christian University. She will defend her dissertation as well as received her graduate certificate in Women’s & Gender Studies in May of 2025.

Research

As an undergraduate, Nicole worked closely with Professor Toyin Falola from the University of Texas at Austin to co-author their 2020 book, Religious Beliefs and Knowledge Systems in Africa. Prior to her graduate studies, she also co-authored a journal article published in Scientific Reports.

In her graduate studies, she has developed a robust research agenda emphasizing social justice and teacher education, as well as equity in early childhood literacies, critical perspectives in the early childhood education and care (ECEC) sector, and feminist qualitative inquiry.

Her work has since been accepted for publication in several peer-reviewed books, as well as journals such as The Journal for Curriculum Theorizing and The Critical Social Educator. She has additionally co-authored several internal and external program evaluation reports from the Center for Public Education and Community Engagement at Texas Christian University, as well as research briefs. She has presented at several national conferences, including for: The Journal of Curriculum Theorizing, Cultural Studies Association, and the American Education Research Association.

Teaching

In addition to her years teaching in the early childhood sector, Nicole has three years of experience teaching in higher education, as a teaching assistant as well as an instructor of record. She strive for curricular and pedagogic innovation in her courses, especially in relation to promoting more equitable teacher education, interdisciplinary inquiry, and integrating novel technology in the classroom.

She has served as an instructor of record for two semesters for Child & Adolescent Development at Texas Christian University, in which she received stellar feedback from students (both in formal evaluations and Rate My Professor) as well as faculty (through receiving a Graduate Teaching Award).

Service

Nicole aims to serve the professional community through serving as a reviewer for professional journals and conference, serving as a discussant at conferences, and serving on committees focused on building networks of like-minded educators and researchers. At her current university, she volunteers her time toward special advisory cabinets, judging graduate and undergraduate research presentations, and transformational service work aimed at reforming university curricula and policies.