General Information
Staff Profile
Robyn Wright Dunbar received a B.A. in geology from Trinity University followed by an M.A. in Antarctic marine geology and Ph.D. in geology from Rice University. During the course of her graduate work, Robyn participated in five Antarctic research cruises and holds the distinction of being one of the first two women to conduct Antarctic marine research aboard a U.S. Coast Guard icebreaker. By the time she received her Ph.D., Robyn’s research, her career, and her soul had shifted to the ancient rock record and the spectacular geology of the Four Corners area. Robyn was a faculty member at the University of New Mexico and at Rice University before her 1998 arrival at Stanford as Consulting Associate Professor of Geological and Environmental Sciences.
In 1999 Robyn joined Stanford’s Center for Teaching and Learning as its Assistant Director for Science and Engineering and in 2000 became CTL's Senior Associate Director. At CTL she consults with individual faculty and graduate students, as well as with academic departments, to support a variety of teaching and curricular objectives. She is particularly active in promoting understanding about how people learn and how to include inquiry-based science and engineering teaching practices in higher education. Beyond her work at Stanford, Robyn has made contributions to science pedagogy and future faculty preparation through her role as a leader in the summer institute Preparing for an Academic Career,part of the On the Cutting Edge programs for geosciences faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and graduate students. She has received recognition for outstanding teaching as both a teaching assistant and as a faculty member, and although her lectures are typically heard by classes smaller than 25, she set her crowd record (>850!) when invited to give the Orientation Week Faculty Address, "Lentil Stew and Other Important Things on Rice," to the Rice University class of 2001.
Other Interesting Facts
On the personal side of things, Robyn enjoys time with her husband (and Stanford faculty member) Rob Dunbar, her two wonderful sons, and way too many longhaired dogs and cats. Along with Rob, she has participated in numerous Stanford Travel Study trips to exotic destinations and enjoys the mesa country, gardening, and turning over rocks.