Maddie Balman is a Curriculum and Pedagogy Manager in the Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology at Harvard University. A native of Upstate New York, Maddie received her bachelor’s degree in Biology and Spanish and Hispanic Studies from Hobart and William Smith Colleges. She went on to complete two terms of service with AmeriCorps in the Rochester City School district where she developed a passion for creating more equitable and inclusive education.
Maddie completed her Ph.D. in Biology at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. Her research focused on understanding factors, such as urbanization, that control assembly of the microbiome and how interactions between the host and the environment shape microbiome assembly. She also investigated whether online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic was equitable.
Before joining the education team at Harvard, Maddie was a lecturer in the biology department at Monmouth University in New Jersey where she received the School of Science Teaching for Equity and Inclusion Award for her Introduction to Cell and Molecular Biology course.