She is a Distinguished Professor of Learning Sciences, Barbara B. Jacobs Chair in Education and Technology, and the Associate Dean for Research and Development at Indiana University Bloomington.
[13] Hmelo-Silver investigates how students engage in problem solving and the role of social interaction in learning processes.
Hmelo-Silver has also studied the role of technology to support social knowledge construction and collaborative learning and problem-solving.
[15] In collaboration with colleagues in informatics, Hmelo-Silver has been exploring how human-centered robotics can help promote STEM engagement and learning in middle and high school youth.
Their project, Integrating AI Learning into Middle School Science through Natural Language Processing, investigates how professional development and participatory co-design can be tailored to support teachers' competencies and sense of preparedness in bringing artificial intelligence and natural language processing into science classrooms.
[17] Hmelo-Silver and her colleague Joshua Danish were awarded an NSF grant for the project Hearing Each Other's Voices: Community Models for Professional Learning for Teachers, STEM Coaches and Researchers.
[19] She is also part of a team of researchers who received a $1.1M NSF grant to fund study of student group engagement in STEM activities.
[20] Hmelo-Silver frequently presents her research at national and international conferences, contributing to the global dialogue on effective teaching and learning strategies.