James Huff
University of Georgia College of Engineering associate professor James Huff has been selected as co-editor of the American Society for Engineering Education’s (ASEE) Journal of Engineering Education, starting in 2027 alongside current co-editors David Knight from Virginia Tech University and Joyce Main from Purdue University. He will serve most of his term with newly appointed co-editor Catherine Berdanier from Pennsylvania State University beginning in 2028.
At UGA, Huff teaches and researches within the Engineering Education Transformations Institute and School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and directs the Beyond Professional Identity Lab. He earned his Ph.D. in engineering education from Purdue University, his M.S. in electrical and computer engineering from Purdue, and his B.S. in computer engineering from Harding.
The international, peer-reviewed Journal of Engineering (JEE) cultivates scholarly research in engineering education and helps develop a body of knowledge to improve engineering education globally. Huff started on JEE’s editorial board in 2022 as an associate editor. He has since served as a senior associate editor, deputy editor, and interim co-editor.
Huff stated, “I am both excited and humbled to continue my work with JEE in this new role. This journal played a pivotal role in creating the field of engineering education research, the focus of my doctoral field. It feels like a full-circle moment to serve the international community through a journal that influenced my trajectory.”
An award-winning engineering educator himself, Huff further reflected on the unique nature of the journal of building scholarship within the international field of engineering education research and communicating to the even larger community of those who teach engineering, stating, “JEE has long been a place to publish profound theoretical insight, grounded in social science theory and methods. The insights published here are critical for building and sustaining long-term changes in building the best practices for engineering education, especially in a rapidly changing environment for higher education. I look forward to collaborating with those at the forefront of teaching and learning in engineering to strengthen connections between published research and innovative education.”
As a qualitative researcher, Huff’s work lies at the interdisciplinary nexus of engineering education research and applied personality and social psychology. An NSF CAREER Awardee and ASEE Fellow, he is committed to fostering care as a central mindset of engineering and other professions through his in-depth examinations of personal lived experiences of identity and emotion, facets often hidden within professional domains. He has mentored undergraduates, doctoral students, and professionals from over fifteen disciplines in conducting their qualitative investigations on psychological phenomena relevant to well-being in workplaces and degree programs. He has published numerous peer-reviewed publications and has facilitated multiple workshops on qualitative research methodologies and coping with professional shame.
“The Journal of Engineering Education is the flagship publication in our field that researchers around the globe aspire to publish in,” said Julie Martin, director of UGA’s Engineering Education Transformations Institute. “Dr. Huff is a true thought leader at the forefront of engineering education research, with a compelling vision for expanding scholarly capacity. His appointment marks an exciting, transformative moment for JEE and the future of our discipline.”
Huff looks forward to working with co-editor Berdanier, a professor of mechanical engineering at the Pennsylvania State University and director of Penn State’s Engineering Cognitive Research Laboratory. As he stated, “I am delighted to collaborate in this role with Dr. Catherine Berdanier. Together, we will promote dialogue that values submitting authors as those whose voices are valued in the peer-review process. At the same time, we will encourage a deeper dialogue among authors in how they build their work from others in engineering education research. How are we building on the knowledge contained within the field and other relevant social science disciplines? Dr. Berdanier and I share these values for both the dignity of authors and the quality of the work they produce”
Huff further expressed gratitude for Knight and Main’s leadership. “I owe much of my understanding of publishing and editorial leadership to the outstanding work of current co-editors Drs. Main and Knight, along with past editor Dr. Lisa Benson. They have built a culture in JEE that I am proud to be contributing to in my upcoming role as co-editor. I am grateful to go into the next year with Drs. Knight and Main as fellow co-editors of the journal.”
