Caleb M. Trujillo
Associate Professor of Data Visualization and Data Analytics
Education
Postdoctoral Research Associate, Michigan State University
Ph.D. Biological Sciences, Purdue University
B.A. Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado at Boulder
Courses
- BDATA 232: Introduction to Data Visualization
- BDATA 412: Advanced Data Visualization
- BDATA 200: Introduction to Data Studies
- BES 301: Scientific Methods and Practices
- BIS 142: Numbers in the News
Teaching Interests
My teaching focuses on helping students develop expertise in data visualization, data science, and interdisciplinary problem-solving through authentic projects and research experiences. I am particularly interested in community-engaged learning, undergraduate research, scientific communication, and the ethical use of data. Across my courses, students work with real datasets and community partners to create analyses, visualizations, and data products that address meaningful questions and public needs.
Research and Scholarship Interests
My scholarship examines how people learn, reason, and communicate with complex information. Working at the intersection of data visualization, STEM education, and information science, I investigate how visual representations support learning, how educators and students navigate disciplinary boundaries, and how authentic research experiences contribute to student success.
My recent research focuses on three interconnected areas:
- Data Visualization and Learning — understanding how people interpret and communicate complex information through visual representations, including emerging work on qualitative data visualization and educational assessment.
- Interdisciplinary STEM Education — exploring how students and educators develop knowledge across disciplinary boundaries. As Co-PI of the NSF-funded Molecular CaseNet network, I collaborate with biology and chemistry educators to develop and study case-based approaches for teaching molecular structure and function.
- Authentic Research and Community Partnerships — investigating how undergraduate research, course-based research experiences, and community-engaged projects foster learning, persistence, and professional growth.
- Trujillo, C.M., Momsen, J., Wyse, S.A., Bray Speth, E., & Long, T.M. (2026). Scholarly discourse of systems thinking within and beyond STEM education. International Journal of STEM Education.
- Trujillo, C.M., Kesh, J., Cooper, M.M., de Lima, J., Long, T.M., Noyes, K., Schwarz, C., & Stoltzfus, J. (2026). Supporting development of mechanistic reasoning across chemistry and biology. CBE—Life Sciences Education, 25(3), ar34.
- Trujillo, C.M. & Dutta, S. (2024). Molecular storytelling: A conceptual framework for teaching and learning with Molecular Case Studies. Frontiers in Education, 9, 1379515.
- Nguyen, H.N., Trujillo, C.M., Wee, K., & Bowe, K. (2021). Interactive qualitative data visualization for educational assessment. Proceedings of the 12th International Conference on Advances in Information Technology (IAIT 2021).
- Trujillo, C.M. & Long, T.M. (2018). Document co-citation analysis to enhance transdisciplinary research. Science Advances, 4(1), e1701130.