Nicole M. Joseph, associate professor of mathematics education in the department of teaching and learning at Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College, received the Mary P. Dolciani Award from the Mathematical Association of America. The annual award honors a mathematician, statistician, or educator who has made outstanding contributions to mathematics education for students from kindergarten through the undergraduate level.
Throughout her 26-year career, Dr. Jospeh has explored how identity shapes mathematical learning, particularly at the intersections of race and gender. Her research has helped center intersectionality as an essential framework for understanding the experiences of Black girls and women in mathematics. She is the author of Making Black Girls Count in Math Education: A Black Feminist Vision for Transformative Teaching (Harvard Education Press, 2022). Dr. Joseph is also known for creating the Measuring Inclusive Constructs of Mathematics Identity, one of the first measurable frameworks to provide educators with meaningful ways to support inclusive learning environments.
Dr. Joseph holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration, economics, and mathematics from Seattle University. She earned a master’s degree in human development from Pacific Oaks College Northwest in Seattle and a Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction with specializations in multicultural education and mathematics education from the University of Washington. She has taught at Vanderbilt University since 2016.