Nina Bayer

Nina Bayer – nina.bayer@uconn.edu

Nina Bayer is pursuing her Ph.D. in Special Education at the University of Connecticut. She entered the doctoral program, a part of UConn’s Department of Educational Psychology, as a LINC fellow in fall of 2021. Nina’s brings with her a background in teaching, management, and research, coupled with dedicated inquiry around reading disabilities, intervention systems, and student success.

Nina pursued a double major at UConn, earning bachelor’s degrees in English and Psychology. She continued her studies at Sacred Heart University, where she received her certification as a secondary English teacher and her Master’s Degree in Teaching. Nina began exploring the field of special education as an educational mentor and vocational coach for students and young adults with special needs. Nina continued her career in education as a high school English teacher. She began digging deeper into reading disabilities to support her students. She carried this passion to the Community College level, where she supported hundreds of students who struggled with reading and writing. Determined to understand the foundations of reading and reading support, Nina began work with K-5 students as a reading interventionist. It was here that she decided that she wanted to enter educational research. She moved on to become a Research Assistant for the Department of Educational Psychology.

As a Research Assistant and Project Coordinator, Nina was a part of various research teams under PIs who investigated research questions around the effectiveness of different reading interventions and neurological changes that coincide with instruction. Nina managed logistical aspects (including project development, recruitment, hiring, training, planning, managing, and data collection), and she taught reading intervention programs with struggling readers in grades 2-5. Now as a fellow, Nina is excited to delve into theory and application in the field, as well as explore, contribute, collaborate, and develop research in the science of reading.