University of Malawi

Staff

Search other staff

Profile

Dr. Dorothy Beauty Bwanaisa NKhata

Head of CERT
Center for Educational Research and Training(CERT)

Research Areas

Implementation Science,Scaling Educational interventions,Research Centers,Diversity, Equity and Inclusion,STEM Education,Student Success and Access,Student Transition Experiences,Systematic Review and Synthesis in Educational Research ,

Profile

Dr. Dorothy Bwanaisa Nkhata is Head of the Centre for Educational Research and Training (CERT) at the University of Malawi, where she leads strategic operations to advance educational research, promote evidence-based policy and practice, and spearhead innovations with transformative potential across education systems—locally, nationally, and globally. Her distinguished career spans more than two decades of academic and leadership roles across secondary and tertiary education, with cross-cultural experience in Malawi, Tanzania, and the United States. Renowned for her scholarship and thought leadership, she has presented her research at major international and regional forums, including the American Educational Research Association (AERA), Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE), Ethnographic & Qualitative Research Conference (EQRC), American Association of Behavioral and Social Sciences (AABSS), and University Council for Educational Administration (UCEA). Her work continues to shape global discourse on educational access, equity, and leadership. Dr. Bwanaisa Nkhata holds a Ph.D. in Adult and Higher Education and a Graduate Certificate in Women’s and Gender Studies from the University of Oklahoma; a Master of Science in Secondary Science Education from Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI); a Postgraduate Diploma in Health Personnel Education and Health System Research from the Centre for Educational Development in Health, Arusha, Tanzania; and a Bachelor of Science in Physics from the University of Malawi—where she now leads transformative research and institutional innovation. Her interdisciplinary academic journey—rooted in science, education, health systems, and gender studies—deepens her expertise in student transitions, workforce development, and the design of responsive, sustainable learning environments. A methodologist by training, she applies advanced skills in multiple case study design, ecological inquiry, intersectionality-informed analysis, and systematic review and meta-analysis using R software to generate insights that inform both policy and practice. Her contributions have been recognized through numerous awards and fellowships, including the AAUW International Fellowship, the Nancy L. Mergler Dissertation Fellowship, and various research and travel grants. Today, she leads multiple funded projects and continues to leverage evidence-based approaches to shape education policy, scale impactful programs, and drive system-level transformation within Malawi and across the global education landscape.

Publications

  • Journal Article
    Kuombola, H. et al. (2025) Baseline Study on Scaling-Up Innovative Gender Inclusion and Safeguarding Approaches: Evidence from Malawi, Uganda and Ethiopia. Project Report. Link Community Development Malawi, University of Malawi and University of Glasgow, Lilongwe, Malawi. (2025)
    https://eprints.gla.ac.uk/349368/.
  • Journal Article
    Muteti, C., Zarraga, C., Jacob, B., Mwarumba, T., Nkhata, D. B.., Mwavita, M., Mohanty, S., Mutambuki, J. (2021). “I realized what I was doing was not working: The influence of explicit teaching of metacognition on students’ study strategies in a general chemistry I course.” The Journal of Chemistry Education Research and Practice. (2021)
  • Conference Papers
    Deacon, Z., Acar, H., Nkhata, D. B. (December 2020). Understanding Inequalities in Postsecondary Education: Retention, Connectedness, Black Women, and STEM. Invited presentation at the “1st Understanding Inequity/Advancing Equity Symposium.” A Virtual Symposium organized by the Office of The Vice President for Research and Partnerships at the University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma, USA. (2020)
  • Conference Papers
    Nkhata, D. B. (2019). Choosing and Changing a Major: An Ecological Exploration of the Experiences of Black Women Students in STEM at Historically White Institutions in the United States of America, 3rd Annual Conference on Academic Research in Education (CARE), Las Vegas, Nevada. (2019)
  • Conference Papers
    Nkhata, D. B. (2019). Self-Doubts and the Compulsion to Prove, 31st Annual Ethnographic & Qualitative Research (ERQ) Conference, Las Vegas, Nevada. (2019)
  • Conference Papers
    Nkhata, D. B. (2019). Transition Experiences of Black Women Students in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Majors. An Ecological Approach. Research Paper Presentation at the 22nd Annual American Association of Behavioral and Social Sciences (AABSS) Conference, Las Vegas, Nevada. (2019)
  • Book
    Nkhata, D. B. (2018). Experiences of Black Women Students in STEM at Historically White Institutions in the United States of America: A Multiple Case Study. (Doctoral dissertation). (2018)
    https://shareok.org/handle/11244/299931.
  • Conference Papers
    Nkhata, D. B. (2018). “Too White, Too Male”: A Multilevel Analysis of Experiences of Black Women Students in STEM at Historically White Institutions in the United States of America. Invited Presentation at the Annual Social Justice Conference Graduate Symposium organized by The Jeannine Rainbolt College of Education, University of Oklahoma. (2018)
  • Journal Article
    Nkhata, D. B. (2013). Book review: Global Perspectives on Educational Leadership Reform: The Development and Preparation of Leaders of Learning and Learners of Leadership. Journal of Educational Administration, 51(2). (2013)
    DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/09578231311304724
  • Conference Papers
    Nkhata, D. B. & Pasque, P. A. (2012). The Freedom to Learn in the United States: Multiple Forces on Black African Women in Science. A research paper presented at the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE) Conference, Las Vegas, Nevada. (2012)
  • Conference Papers
    Frick, W. C., Nkhata, D. B., & Daine, J. K. (2011, April). Elementary principals and their professional moral sense making: Voices but viable ethics? Paper presented at the AERA (American Educational Research Association) Annual Meeting. New Orleans, Louisiana. (2011)
  • Book Chapters
    Nkhata, D. B. (2011). The story of one Yao woman. In P. A. Pasque & S. E. Nicholson (Eds.), Empowering women in higher education and student affairs: Theory, research, narratives, and practice from feminist perspectives (pp. 138-139). Sterling, Virginia: Stylus Publishing, LLC. (2011)
  • Conference Papers
    Frick, W. C., Nkhata, D. B., & Daine, J. K. (2010, October). Elementary principals and their professional moral sense making: Voices but viable ethics? Seventh Annual Proceedings of the UCEA (University Council for Educational Administration) 24th Annual Convention. New Orleans, Louisiana. (2010)
  • Conference Papers
    Smith, J. S., Ortloff, D. H., Banerjee-Stevens, F., Nkhata, D. B., Stuckey, J. B., & Stuckey, S. M. (2007). Evaluation of The State’s Largest Classroom report. (Research Report No. 6). Indianapolis, Indiana: Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Center for Urban and Multicultural Education. (2007)
    https://archives.iupui.edu/bitstream/handle/2450/4883/references2008.pdf?sequence=1.)
  • Book
    Nkhata, D. B. (2003). The extent of alcohol use among pupils in selected secondary schools in Lilongwe District in Malawi. A Health Systems Research Dissertation presented to the Centre for Educational Development in Health, Arusha (CEDHA), Arusha, Tanzania. (2003)
  • Book
    Bwanaisa, D. B. (AKA Nkhata, D. B., 1994). Names and naming in Yao culture. African Philosophy, a thesis presented to the Department of Philosophy at the University of Malawi, Chancellor College. (1994)