Jessica Deters

Avatar for Jessica Deters

Jessica Deters

Assistant Professor Mechanical & Materials Engineering University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Contact

Address
NH W338
Phone
402-472-7211
Email
jessica.deters@unl.edu
Website
Website

Dr. Jessica Deters is an Assistant Professor of Mechanical and Materials Engineering and Discipline Based Education Researcher at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln. She advises Ph.D. students in the Ph.D. in Engineering - Specialization in Engineering Education Research program. She also advises undergraduate researchers who have an interest in engineering education. Her research focuses on engineering culture, workplace preparedness and career trajectories of undergraduate and graduate students, and student well-being. She is the 2025 recipient of the Harold and Esther Edgerton Junior Faculty Award and the Henry Y. Kleinkauf Family Distinguished New Faculty Teaching Award. 

Education

B.S. in Applied Mathematics & Statistics - Colorado School of Mines

M.S. in Systems Engineering - Virginia Tech

Ph.D. in Engineering Education - Virginia Tech

Courses Taught

  • MECH 321: Engineering Statistics & Data Analysis (Fall)
  • ENGR 891: Quantitative Methods for Engineering Education Research
  • ENGR 834: Framing STEM Education Research

Professional Service Roles

  • Society of Women Engineers, UNL Chapter Advisor
  • Vice Chair for ASEE Programs, ASEE Educational Research and Methods Division (ERM), 2024 - 2025

Awards

  • UNL College Distinguished Teaching Award, 2026
  • Harold and Esther Edgerton Junior Faculty Award, 2025
  • Henry Y. Kleinkauf Family Distinguished New Faculty Teaching Award, 2025

Selected Publications

  1. Fleming, G., Denton, M., & Deters, J. R. (2026). I Hold More Assets that Help Me Navigate through My World than I Had Previously Thought”: Community Cultural Wealth Student Reflections during an Engineering Study Abroad Program. Journal of Engineering Education, 115(2), 1-21. https://doi.org/10.1002/jee.70061
  2. Fleming, G., Richardson, A., Knight, D., Borrego, M., Deters, J., & Grote, D. (2025). Synergistic organizational influences: How universities strategically prepare graduate students for industry, government, and non-profit careers. Higher Education. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-025-01553-6
  3. Deters, J. R., Leydens, J. A., Case, J., & Cowell, M. (2024). Engineering culture under stress: A comparative case study of mechanical engineering student experiences. Journal of Engineering Education, 113(2), 468-487. https://doi.org/10.1002/jee.20594 
  4. Deters, J. R., Paretti, M. C., Perry, L. A., & Ott, R. (2024). What does it mean to be “prepared for work”: Perceptions of new engineers. Journal of Engineering Education, 113(1), 103-123. https://doi.org/10.1002/jee.20572 
  5. Webb, M., Deters, J. R., Menon, M., & Paretti, M. (2024). Breaking silos: Rethinking university structures to facilitate interdisciplinary engineering graduate education. SEFI Editorial Series: Interdisciplinarity – the quest for contemporary engineering education. https://www.sefi.be/2024/12/09/breaking-silos-rethinking-university-structures-to-facilitate-interdisciplinary-engineering-graduate-education/ 
  6. Denton, M., Knight, D. B., Deters, J. R., Grote, D. M., & Borrego, M. (2024). Career Paths of Doctoral Recipients in Engineering and Computer Science: Trends by Sex, Race, Citizenship and Discipline with an Emphasis on Biomedical Engineering. Biomedical Engineering Education, 4, 185-197. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43683-024-00140-y 
  7. Ozkan, D., Davis, K., Deters, J. R., Davis, J., & Murzi, H. (2024). Systems thinking on engineering study abroad programs. European Journal of Engineering Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/03043797.2024.2434168