Educator · Open Science · Activist
Reimagining higher education through openness, equity, and student-driven learning.
I’m Karen Cangialosi, Professor Emeritus of Biology, co-founder of the RIOS Institute, and a national voice in open education, open science, and AI literacy.
CURRENTLY
What I’m working on
Three projects that anchor my work today, at the intersections of open education, open science, and social justice in STEM.
Open & Inclusive STEM
Director of Open Education & Open Science at RIOS — the Institute for Racially Just, Inclusive and Open STEM. Building partnerships and projects across networks.
Transformative Open Pedagogy
The OCTOPUS project — Open Collaboration for Transformative Open Pedagogy to support Undergraduate Open Science Education.
Keynotes & Workshops
Available for keynotes, workshops, and consulting on open education, open science, AI in higher ed, and STEM equity.
Here’s where I’ve been recently and where I’m headed next — email me if you’d like to bring me to your campus.
ABOUT
A short biography
Identity
I’m a dedicated educator and fierce student advocate with national recognition for leadership in academic innovation, open education, STEM education, open science, and digital pedagogy. I’m currently the Director for Open Education and Open Science at the RIOS Institute, based at Bates College. I’m also Professor Emeritus at Keene State College, where I spent many years as a Biology Professor before finding my way to Open Education as a vehicle for larger-scale change in higher ed.
Previously
I served as Program Director for RLOE (Regional Leaders of Open Education Network, a project of Open Education Global and CCCOER), reimagining leadership and shifting institutional power toward marginalized communities. I also directed the Every Learner Everywhere Network, working for more equitable learning outcomes for Black, Latino, Indigenous, poverty-affected, and first-generation students.
At Keene State, I spearheaded a movement to replace traditional textbooks with OER across the Biology B.S. and B.A. programs, saving students thousands of dollars, and led the KSC Teaching Fellows program and open pedagogy faculty learning community.
Activism
I’m a queer street activist. For years I’ve marched, chanted, and organized around diversity, anti-racism, social justice, equity and inclusion and have been a leader in organizations working especially for women’s and LGBTQ rights.
Research
My past research explored the behavioral ecology of spiders — particularly the evolution of social behavior and what shapes foraging complexity in a web-invading, sometimes kleptoparasitic, spider. I also spent years as a Reefcheck International team coordinator in the Turks and Caicos Islands, where I established a coral reef monitoring program and ran youth marine education for student residents of Providenciales.
“Do not confuse Dr. Karen Cangialosi’s ‘radical optimism’ with some Panglossian belief in inevitable progress.
Quite conversely, Dr. Cangialosi’s optimism-as-praxis is rooted in struggle, discipline, and clarity of purpose.”
— Dale Coleman, Cascadia Open Education Summit summary
Let’s talk
I’m always open to conversations about collaboration, speaking invitations, or any of the work above.
Email me at kcangial@keene.edu or kcangial@gmail.com.
