Michael Smalenberger

Senior Research Analyst

: msmalenberger@uchicago.edu

Michael Smalenberger is the Senior Research Analyst at the Center for the Economics of Human Development. His research centers on how students acquire skills, particularly in mathematics, and how this changes as they progress through neurological developmental milestones. Preliminary findings from his research, which is supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF), has produced insights into the design and implementation of educational materials and pedagogical practices, as well as how mathematics learning changes chronologically. Preliminary findings and discussions of this work have been published in the proceedings of the annual conference of the Psychology of Mathematics Education – North American Chapter, the International Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Education, and the International Conference on Educational Data Mining. 

While most of Michael’s professional efforts center on research, he also teaches mathematics and statistics at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte where he has received several prestigious teaching awards. Outside of academia, Michael has served in executive and leadership positions for nonprofit and private sector organizations, as well as city and county advisory boards to locally elected officials. He is also an honorably discharged combat veteran of the US Air Force, where he held a security clearance and received numerous meritorious decorations. Michael graduated from the University of North Carolina Charlotte with an M.S. in Computer Science, from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with an M.S. in Economics, and from Eastern New Mexico University with an M.B.A.

In his free time, Michael enjoys being around family and friends, exercising, and being outside.