Joelyn de Lima

EPFL AVP-E CAPE
RLC D1 740 (Rolex Learning Center)
Station 20
1015 Lausanne

Expertise

Education Research
Pedagogical Professional Development
Informal Education
Academic communities
Joelyn de Lima is a scientist, educational developer, and researcher whose work bridges the natural sciences, higher education, and inclusive practice. Originally trained in the biological sciences, her early research focused on students’ conceptual and mechanistic understanding of evolution. She later transitioned into discipline-based education research and pedagogical development, bringing together scientific rigour, educational theory, and practical experience to enhance teaching and learning in higher education.

Her work at EPFL includes faculty development, educational research, and institutional support for teaching. She mentors university educators in their teaching practice and in the scholarship of teaching and learning, and has experience both in undergraduate teaching and in designing programmes that support educators in learning how to teach. She also develops practitioner materials for use in both formal and informal educational contexts.

Alongside this, Joelyn has an active portfolio in diversity, equity, and inclusion. Her research has examined inclusion in engineering classrooms, conferences, and informal engineering spaces, and she has advised academic conferences in multiple fields on evidence-informed DEI practices. Across all these areas, she is committed to a data-to-action approach that connects research to concrete educational improvement.

Education

Plant Biology

| Research focused on Undergraduate Biology Education

2015 – 2021 Michigan State University
Directed by Dr. Tammy Long

STEM Higher Education

| Graduate Certification in College Teaching in Natural Science

2017 – 2019 Michigan State University

Community Engaged Research

| University Graduate Certification in Community Engagement

2018 – 2019 Michigan State University

Education

| Bachelor of Education, specialisation in Mathematics and Science Education.

2008 – 2009 Goa University
Directed by Dr. Denzil Martins

Marine Sciences

| Master of Science in Marine Science, specialisation in Marine Biology

2005 – 2008 Goa University

Zoology & Biotechnology

| Bachelor of Science in Zoology with Biotechnology

2002 – 2005 Goa University
Directed by Dr. Sr. Lizanne A.C.

2026

Identifying best practices for advancing access, equity, and inclusion in code club settings

T. VrielerT. JaguštJ. de Lima

Computer Science Education. 2026. DOI : 10.1080/08993408.2026.2647964.

Tuning experiential activities' constraints influences student engagement and focus on transversal skills

S. IsaacJ. de LimaY. JalaliV. RossiS. Schmid  et al.

Frontiers in Education. 2026. DOI : 10.3389/feduc.2025.1688568.

Building inclusive engineering education conferences: a responsive approach to identifying and mitigating barriers

J. de LimaS. IsaacN. WintI. Direito

European Journal of Engineering Education. 2026. DOI : 10.1080/03043797.2025.2601245.

2025

How Can We Make Scientific Events More Inclusive? Insights From Q&a Sessions and Surveys From an International Conference

R. S. ChenT. RizviA. L. BerthelsenA. J. PaijmansA. L. Maune  et al.

ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION. 2025. DOI : 10.1002/ece3.71588.

A framework to identify opportunities to address socioscientific issues in the elementary school curricula: A case study from England, Italy, and Portugal

P. PessoaJ. de LimaV. PiacentiniG. RealdonA. Jeffries  et al.

PLOS ONE. 2025. DOI : 10.1371/journal.pone.0308901.

Building a Community of Sessional Teachers: A Workshop on Mattering, Integration, and Justice

M. Di BenedettiS. PlumbM. PolmearD. AvdicM. Makramalla  et al.

2025. 53rd Conference of the European Society for Engineering Education (SEFI 2025), Tampere, Finland, 2025-09-15 - 2025-09-18. p. 2045 - 2050. DOI : 10.5281/zenodo.17631726.

“I am not just another number”: Do Engineering Teaching Assistants Feel Like They Belong, and Are They Representative?

J. de LimaS. Isaac

2025. 53rd Conference of the European Society for Engineering Education (SEFI 2025), Tampere, Finland, 2025-09-15 - 2025-09-18. p. 259 - 270. DOI : 10.5281/zenodo.17631802.

2024

Evolutionary literacy as a catalyst for sustainable futures: connecting biological evolution education and education for sustainability

P. PessoaJ. B. LopesJ. de LimaA. PintoP. Søgaard Jørgensen  et al.

Evolution: Education and Outreach. 2024. DOI : 10.1186/s12052-024-00213-0.

Teaching assistants' contributions to creating inclusive and equitable learning spaces in engineering

J. de LimaS. R. IsaacH. Kovacs

European Journal Of Engineering Education. 2024. DOI : 10.1080/03043797.2024.2346332.

Evolution in European and Israeli school curricula - a comparative analysis

E. MavrikakiG. RealdonT. AiveloA. BajramiC. D. Bakanay  et al.

International Journal Of Science Education. 2024. DOI : 10.1080/09500693.2023.2293090.

The Road Not Taken: How First-Generation Students Differ in Their Postgraduate Educational Paths

J. de LimaO. KasatkinaI. Lermigeaux-Sarrade

2024. 52 Conference of the European Society for Engineering, Lausanne, Switzerland, 2024-09-02 - 2024-09-05. p. 406 - 416. DOI : 10.5281/zenodo.14254722.

How to support students to develop coaching and peer teaching skills

J. de LimaS. R. Isaac

Teaching Transversal Skills for Engineering Studens: A Practical Handbook of Activities with Tangibles; EPFL, 2024.

How to Support Students Giving Each Other Constructive Feedback, Especially When It Is Difficult to Hear

S. R. IsaacJ. de Lima

Teaching Transversal Skills for Engineering Studens: A Practical Handbook of Activities with Tangibles; EPFL, 2024.

CREATING EXPERIENTIAL ACTIVITIES TO TEACH TRANSVERSAL SKILLS IN YOUR COURSE WITH A BACKWARD DESIGN TEMPLATE

S. IsaacJ. de LimaV. RossiY. Jalali

2024. 52 Conference of the European Society for Engineering, Lausanne, Switzerland, 2024-09-02 - 2024-09-05. p. 2574 - 2580. DOI : 10.5281/zenodo.14260939.

How teachers can use the 3T PLAY trident framework to design activities that develop transversal skills

S. R. IsaacJ. de Lima

Teaching Transversal Skills for Engineering Students: A Practical Handbook of Activities with Tangibles; EPFL, 2024.

Distinctly Human - Student's Perception of Transversal Skills in Engineering Curriculum

J. de LimaS. R. IsaacJ. Dehler Zufferey

2024. 20th International CDIO Conference, Tunis, Tunisia, 2024-06-10 - 2024-06-13.

Exploring Engineering Students' Perception of Sustainability and Ethics in Their Curriculum Across Disciplines

S. R. IsaacJ. de LimaY. JalaliV. RossiR. Tormey  et al.

2024. IEEE Global Engineering Education Conference (EDUCON 2024), Kos, Greece, 2024-05-08 - 2024-05-11.

Enacting Our Values - Steps Towards a More Sustainable and Inclusive SEFI Community

J. de LimaS. IsaacN. WintF. TruscottT. Kilamo

2024. 52 Conference of the European Society for Engineering, Lausanne, Switzerland, 2024-09-02 - 2024-09-05. p. 2710 - 2717. DOI : 10.5281/zenodo.14260979.

How to Support Students to Develop Skills that Promote Sustainability

S. R. IsaacJ. de Lima

Teaching Transversal Skills for Engineering Studens: A Practical Handbook of Activities with Tangibles; EPFL, 2024.

Transversal skills priorities and curricular support as experienced by engineering students on their path to becoming responsible engineers

J. de LimaS. IsaacJ. Dehler Zufferey

2024. 52 Conference of the European Society for Engineering, Lausanne, Switzerland, 2024-09-02 - 2024-09-05. DOI : 10.5281/zenodo.14254762.

Reluctance Despite Recognition: Student Perceptions of Benefits of Group Work

M. Pineros-RodriguezS. DeparisK. HessJ. de Lima

2024. 52 Conference of the European Society for Engineering, Lausanne, Switzerland, 2024-09-02 - 2024-09-05. p. 2012 - 2022. DOI : 10.5281/zenodo.14256707.

TRANSVERSAL SKILLS THAT PROMOTE SUSTAINABILITY - AN EXPERIENTIAL ACTIVITY FOR ENGINEERING STUDENTS

S. IsaacV. RossiJ. de Lima

2024. 52 Conference of the European Society for Engineering, Lausanne, Switzerland, 2024-09-02 - 2024-09-05. p. 2718 - 2724. DOI : 10.5281/zenodo.14260981.

How teachers can use the 3T PLAY trident framework to design an activity that develops transversal skills

S. R. IsaacJ. de Lima

Teaching Transversal Skills for Engineering Studens: A Practical Handbook of Activities with Tangibles; EPFL, 2024.

2023

Students explain evolution by natural selection differently for humans versus nonhuman animals

J. de LimaT. M. Long

Cbe-Life Sciences Education. 2023. DOI : 10.1187/cbe.21-06-0145.

Inclusive engineering classrooms: student teaching assistants' perspectives

J. de LimaS. R. IsaacH. Kovacs

2023. 2023 SEFI Annual Conference, Dublin, Ireland, September 11-14, 2023.

Research

Current Research Fields

  • Engineering Education
  • STEM Education
  • Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion