Marissa Tsugawa PhD
Engineering Education
Assistant Professor

Educational Background
Licensures & Certifications
Biography
Marissa Tsugawa is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Engineering Education. They received their B.S. and M.S. in Mechanical Engineering and a Ph.D. in Engineering Education at the University of Nevada, Reno.
Teaching Interests
Marissa Tsugawa teaches Statics, the first engineering mechanics course, and qualitative research methods, a graduate methodology course. She is interested in implementing Universal Design for Learning constructs in the classroom to make accessible learning.
Research Interests
Marissa Tsugawa's main research interest is neurodiversity in engineering. Neurodiversity is the celebration of naturally occurring differences in humans such as autism, bipolar, ADHD., anxiety, and depression. Specifically, Dr. Tsugawa is investigating how neurodivergent students develop their engineering identity and how neurodivergence manifests in engineering education. Dr. Tsugawa is also interested in understanding engineering faculty mentorship identity and engineering women of color experiences.
Awards
Outstanding Graduate Mentor of the Year Award, 2023
Department of Engineering Education
Publications | Journal Articles
Academic Journal
- Cross, K., Farrell, S., Chavela, R., Tsugawa, M., Queerness in STEM: Insights and Foresights from Experienced LGBTQ+ Advocates. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education
- Bahnson, M., Satterfield, D., Perkins, H., Parker, M., Tsugawa, M., Cass, C., Kirn, A., (2023). Engineer Identity and Degree Completion Intentions in Doctoral Study. Journal of Engineering Education
An asterisk (*) at the end of a publication indicates that it has not been peer-reviewed.
Publications | Other
An asterisk (*) at the end of a publication indicates that it has not been peer-reviewed.