International Institute for Engineering Education Assessment

Identifying Problems | Assessing Progress | Enhancing the World

Research Opportunities & Frequently Asked Questions

Research Opportunities & Frequently Asked Questionsi2e2a is looking for a people from a variety of disciplines to join our team. Part-time and full-time research, postdoctoral research, consultant, and hourly employment opportunities are available.

Due to the large number of requests received, there is no guarantee of funding to any student or employee before having direct interactions and conducting a personal interview with one or more members of the team.

These interactions will give us opportunities to understand applicants’ interests in our research and their potential alignment with our group. Members of the research group will assist in the selection process for new members of the group.

Learn more about i2e2a group dynamics and work style below. If you are interested in a position, e-mail a copy of your CV or resume along with a cover letter describing your interest in a position to Dr. Cox at mfc@purdue.edu.


How would you describe working with Dr. Cox?

Graduate Student Responses

Research Opportunities & Frequently Asked Questions

Photo courtesy of Purdue University
Dr. Cox with graduate student Tenille Medley and with Purdue ENE graduate, Dr. Nathan McNeill.

“Working with Dr. Cox is simply dynamic! She keeps me on my toes and that challenge motivates me to consistently produce.”

“Working with Dr. Cox is a lot like working for an enterprise- fast-paced with tremendous opportunities for professional growth. She is funny, honest and straightforward. If you are working to expectation, you will know. If you are not working to expectation, you will know. In either case, professional growth and development is always the end goal. Keep that always in perspective.”

“I had never worked in a research group before, so it was definitely different compared to my past experiences. Initially it was a little confusing as to what needed to be done but the research picked up speed and direction later on.”

“Working with Dr. Cox is fulfilling for me, since we have similar working styles. She continually pushes me to achieve more than I think I can, and her positive attitude and self-confidence have rubbed off on me, making me more sure of my skills and abilities and how I can use them to help the group achieve more.”

Undergraduate Student Responses

“I could feel the sense of good team spirit when I was working with the i2e2a research team. The people have a decent sense of humor, while they take their work seriously. The team is also flexible, yet progressive, in their work.”

“Open, friendly environment where everyone is encouraged to participate, get involved and provide feedback even when discussing projects not related to your work.”


What advice do you have for new students in our group or students thinking of joining i2e2a?

Graduate Student Responses

Research Opportunities & Frequently Asked Questions“Be prepared to champion initiatives and be a leader.”

“Keep documentation to one page with highlights. Always keep publication or the “So what?” in the forefront of thought. Keep a complete and thorough status. Seize opportunities to be creative and know that you have a team to work with. Nothing is a solo job.”

“Be open. Ask questions if you have any doubts. Everyone in the group is there to help.”

“This is not the kind of group where you work by yourself, work on one single project, or put in a “minimum” amount of time. I’ve learned to balance my high standards for the quality of my own work with the need to move on several projects simultaneously, which is a skill that will be tremendously valuable in my life and career. My best advice would be, if you’re joining our group, to find ways to be involved in many different projects. The students leading the project will be glad for your help, and you’ll learn a wide variety of methods, leadership, and followership styles.”

Undergraduate Student Responses

“The students need to have flexible work style and be more open to accept any criticism or negative remarks in their work.”

“See if you can attend one of the weekly meetings with the group to get a feel of the kind of work that you would be involved in.”


What would make a person a “good fit” for i2e2a?

Graduate Student Responses

“Self-motivated, result-driven, and initiative-taking”

“Independent worker, creative thinker, who is organized and ambitious. Self-directed, information seeker. Someone who is willing to contribute to all current efforts. This means a willingness to step outside of your comfort zone and/or area of expertise. Good sense of humor and open- minded. A familiarity with the research process is a bonus. People who recognize ambiguity as an opportunity rather than an obstacle.”

“A person who is willing to work with others. Good sense of humor. One who can take criticism and work on it. A person who can help others along the way. A smart working person. A dynamic and energetic person.”

“Project management and delegation skills are imperative, as is self-motivation, since, outside of the weekly meeting or one-on-one meetings, Dr. Cox expects that we can run our own projects and mitigate problems as we come across them.”

Undergraduate Student Responses

“Take their work seriously but have a flexible work style.”

“Goal oriented, someone who sets a timeline to get things done, someone that likes to take the initiative. Also, someone who isn’t afraid to reach out to other members of the group for help and is open to feedback.”


What type of person would NOT be a “good fit” for i2e2a?

Graduate Students Responses

“Someone who needs constant guidance or needs micromanaging.”

“People not comfortable with ambiguity or who require a lot of guidance and explicit directions.”

“Someone who slacks off and cannot take criticism.”

Undergraduate Student Responses

“Students who take things for granted, are unorganized, and are not open to group discussions.”

“Given the type of work I was involved in with our group, creativity and coming up with multiple ideas was the attribute that I found most important. Someone who prefers knowing exactly what and how a task needs to be done in order to do it may not fit with the group. Someone who doesn’t receive constructive criticism in a positive way would also not fit well.”


What are the most positive selling points of i2e2a? In other words, why connect to the i2e2a brand over other brands?

Graduate Student Responses

“Diversity, teamwork, and results-driven (“We get results!”).”

“i2e2a is a very productive group with a lot of accolades. They are a hardworking team that produces because they work well together. They work hard and play hard. Great sense of humor and willingness to help each other out.”

“Everyone is always ready to learn new things. Energetic group with new ideas.”

“I think each group has their own “flavor,” one not being better than another. For my work style and my personality, I particularly enjoy the opportunities to be visible in a variety of publication and conference settings as well as the opportunity to explore areas of engineering education research that are not widely studied yet. I love working on many projects with a variety of people, and Dr. Cox does a great job of “growing” graduate students from beginners into group leaders.”

Undergraduate Student Responses

“You get to see where the future of engineering education is headed and what future engineers just like yourself will be studying. If you have experienced certain classes that you particularly liked or felt certain things could be altered to further improve student performance, this is one of the places where you will get to share that. Additionally, the nature of the work calls for a lot more initiative required which really builds character and is hard to find in other groups.”