Meet Dr. Natalie King
Natalie S. King, PhD - Founder and Executive Director of I AM STEM, LLC is a three-time graduate of the University of Florida and an Associate Professor of Science Education in the Department of Middle and Secondary Education at Georgia State University in Atlanta, GA. Her scholarly work focuses on advancing Black girls in STEM education, community-based STEM programs, and the role of curriculum in fostering equity in science teaching and learning.
As a former high school science teacher, Dr. King is passionate about designing holistic curricula that embraces students’ cultural experiences while preparing them to become productive and critically-conscious citizens in a global society. She firmly believes in STEM for social justice and utilizes a transdisciplinary approach and design thinking to provide authentic and meaningful experiences that promote civic leadership. Through her programs and scholarly work, Dr. King provides a platform for youth voices to be heard and encourages them to work creatively and collaboratively to provide solutions to critical issues within their schools and communities.
Dr. King partners with community-based organizations to provide children with access to comprehensive summer enrichment programs. She offers professional development workshops and curricular support so that local organizations can deliver high-quality and affordable STEM programs to develop this generation’s scientists, engineers, inventors, entrepreneurs, and mathematicians.
Dr. King is a recipient of the 2023 National Science Foundation Alan T. Waterman Award – the nation’s highest honor for early career scientists and engineers. She is the first educator to receive this recognition. Dr. King is also an NSF Early CAREER Award (#1943285) recipient whose research challenges the capitalist agenda for encouraging girls’ involvement in STEM. She elevates the identities and brilliance of Black girls in her scholarship, programs, and grant projects. In addition, Natalie King serves as the Principal Investigator of an NSF Noyce project (# 1852889) seeking to diversify the STEM teaching workforce.
In her free-time, Dr. King enjoys traveling and spending time with her husband and three children. She is truly committed to transforming the face of STEM…one community at a time!
