Ryan D. Sweeder is a Professor of Chemistry and Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Affairs at Lyman Briggs College, Michigan State University. His work bridges chemistry education, equity in STEM, and undergraduate student success, with a focus on improving student outcomes through innovative pedagogy and inclusive practices. Dr. Sweeder’s chemistry education research explores how technology and pedagogy can be used to enhance student’s conceptual learning of chemistry. His student success research explores how institutional structures can support learning, persistence, and graduation in STEM majors.
Dr. Sweeder has held several leadership roles at MSU, including Director of SEISMIC at MSU (2020-2024), Associate Dean for Lyman Briggs College (2021-present), and Faculty Fellow to the Dean (2016-2018). He has also served on university-wide committees including the University Committee on Undergraduate Education and the University Curriculum Committee. Nationally, he is the Program Committee Chair for the American Chemical Society’s Division of Chemical Education and has co-chaired multiple national meetings for the division.
His scholarship has been supported by multiple NSF-funded grants, including recent awards focused on understanding the quality of chemistry education videos on YouTube and institutional transformation through equity learning communities. Dr. Sweeder has published extensively in journals such as the Journal of Chemical Education, Chemistry Education Research and Practice, International Journal of STEM Education, and PLOS ONE, and has mentored dozens of undergraduate researchers.
Recognized for his contributions to teaching, Dr. Sweeder received the MSU AT&T Award in Instructional Technology Honorable Mention (2020), was the named Distinguished Professor of the Year by the Michigan President’s Council of State Universities (2015), are received the MSU Alumni Association of Mid-Michigan Excellence in Undergraduate Education Award (2014). He earned his Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Michigan and his B.A. in Chemistry and Mathematics from Albion College.