Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education; Arthur F. Thurnau Professor of Physics, Astronomy, Education
About
Tim McKay is Arthur F. Thurnau Professor of Physics, Astronomy in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, and Professor of Education in the School of Education at the University of Michigan. McKay received a BS in Physics from Temple University, where he was a first-generation, commuter student. He received his PhD in Physics from the University of Chicago in 1992, and joined the faculty at Michigan in 1995.
McKay’s teams have applied observational and experimental data science methods to astrophysics, cosmology, and education. They have probed the growth of cosmic structure as well as the expansion history of the Universe, especially through studies of galaxy clusters and gravitational lensing. They have discovered prompt optical counterparts to gamma-ray bursts. Since 2008, they have been using classroom and institutional data to make higher education more equitable, inclusive, and effective. In recent years, McKay has helped to launch the Foundational Course Initiative, the Sloan Equity and Inclusion in STEM Introductory Courses (SEISMIC) project, and the Mellon Transfer Bridges to the Humanities project. Publications can be found on Google Scholar.
In 2019, McKay began his current appointment as LSA Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education. In this role, he supports a team of 280 faculty and staff educators who recruit a diverse group of first-time and transfer students, help them to make the most of the educational opportunities LSA provides, support them throughout their academic careers and beyond, and work with entire LSA community to design and deliver a dynamic, rich, contemporary, and well-rounded liberal arts curriculum and extra-curriculum.
Selected Publications
Koester, B., Grom, G., & McKay, T., 2016, “Patterns of Gendered Performance Differences in Introductory STEM Courses”, submitted to PLoS One.
Michelotti, N., Tritz, J., Winn, D., & McKay, T., 2015, “Tournament-Model for Peer Evaluation in an Upper Level Physics Course”, submitted to The American Journal of Physics.
Zhang, Y., et al., 2015 “Galaxies in X-Ray Selected Clusters and Groups in Dark Energy Survey Data I: Stellar Mass Growth of Bright Central Galaxies Since Z~1.2”, accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal, also arXiv:1504.02983.
Zhang, Y., McKay, T., Bertin, E., Jeltema, T., Miller, C., Rykoff, E., and Song, J., 2015, “Crowded Cluster Cores: Algorithms for Deblending in Dark Energy Survey Images”, Proceedings of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, 127, 1183.
Barthelemy, R., Hedberg, G., Greenberg, A., & McKay, T., 2015, “The Climate Experiences of Students in Introductory Biology”, Journal of Microbiology and Biology Education, 16.2.
Huberth, M., Chen, P., Tritz, J., & McKay, T. A., 2015, “Computer-Tailored Student Support in Introductory Physics”, PloS ONE, 10(9), e0137001.
Dietrich, J., et al., 2014, “Orientation Bias of Optically Selected Galaxy Clusters and its Impact on Stacked Weak Lensing Analyses”, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 443, 1713.
Huberth, M., Michelotti, N., and McKay, T., 2014, “E2Coach: Tailoring Support for Students in Introductory STEM Courses”, EDUCAUSE Review, 48, 6.
Cui , X., et al., 2014, “The Optical Luminosity Function Of Gamma-Ray Bursts Deduced From ROTSE Observations”, The Astrophysical Journal, 795, 103.
Evrard, A., Miller, M., Winn, D., Jones, K., Tritz, J., and McKay, T., 2015, “Problem Roulette: Studying Introductory Physics in the Cloud”, The American Journal of Physics, 83, 76.
Wright, M., McKay, T., Hershock, C., Miller, K., and Tritz, J., 2014, “Better-Than-Expected: Learning from Students to Promote Success in Introductory Physics Courses”, Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning, 46:1, 28.
Field(s) of Study
- Data Science
- Learning Analytics
- Physics and Astronomy Education
- Observational Cosmology
- Galaxy Clusters
