SHORT BIO: 

• Marie-Christine Knippels is an Associate Professor in Science Education and has been head of the Biology education team at the Freudenthal Institute, Utrecht University (2010-2017), and member of the board of the Freudenthal Institute (2009-2016). She is a biologist, holds a PhD in Genetics Education (2002) and developed the 'yo-yo learning and teaching strategy' for genetics. She has an upper secondary teaching qualification in biology (2004) and a Senior Teaching Qualification (SKOw, 2010).
• She completed a postdoc research project (NWO) on moral reasoning in genomics-related dilemmas in science education at RISBO BV, Erasmus University Rotterdam (2004-2007), provided educational consultancy for teams involved in designing and performing the Dutch ‘DNA labs on the Road’, and coordinated the national DUDOC-program for PhD-students (2007-2010).
• Her research interest is in SSI-based science education to foster responsible citizenship and the development of metacognitive skills as part of scientific literacy. Currently she supervises three PhD studies: Environmental citizenship in science education (M. van Harskamp); Reasoning with models in biology education (S. Jansen); Systems thinking in biology education (M.Gilissen)
• She led the EU-FP7 PARRISE-project that involved 18 partners from 11 countries (2014-2018), in which an innovative approach for scientific citizenship education has been developed (SSIBL: Socio-Scientific Inquiry-Based Learning). She was partner representative in the SYNENERGENE project (2013-2017), is steering group member of the COST-ENEC project (2017-2021).
• She serves as a member of the Academic Board of ERIDOB since 2014 and a variety of educational- and advisory boards in the Biology department and Faculty of Science of Utrecht University. She developed and coordinated multiple bachelor- and master courses and teaches in undergraduate and master science courses for future teachers and science education researchers.