About me


I am driven by the vision of making the world a better place through better science education.


Magdalena Kersting science education & communication
(Image via Inga Sommer Photographie, All Rights Reserved)

I am Magdalena Kersting, an assistant professor of science education at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark.

With a background in mathematics, physics, and science communication, I hold a Ph.D. in Physics Education Research from the University of Oslo, and I am a recipient of the International Astronomical Union Ph.D. Prize in Education, Outreach, and Heritage. My research intersects science education, embodied cognition, and technology perspectives, with a focus on how embodied experiences shape scientific understanding. I teach graduate courses at the Department of Science Education, and my main teaching responsibilities fall within the Master in Science Teaching (MiSU) and the Master in STEM Teaching (KASTEM).

In addition to my research and teaching responsibilities, I hold leadership positions within various professional organisations and offer mentorship to early-career researchers. I coordinate the Special Interest Group 'Languages & Literacies in Science Education' under the European Science Education Research Association (ESERA), and I serve as the co-chair of the ESERA 2025 conference in Copenhagen. I am also the co-founder of the International Modern Physics & Research in Education Seminar Series (IMPRESS), and I find great joy in fostering collaboration within the physics and science education communities.

So, what exactly does a science education researcher do?

I share interests with cognitive scientists, linguists, historians of science, and philosophers – just to name a few. Yet, my questions diverge.

Rather than just asking how cognition works, I explore how this knowledge should shape the way we teach and design our instructional approaches. 

Rather than analysing language acquisition as a linguist might, I examine how students' language skills impact their ability to grasp scientific concepts. 

While a historian of science might chart how scientific ideas have changed over time, I seek to integrate those insights into instructional practices that reveal the nature of science to learners. 

And while a philosopher might ponder the purpose and practices of science, I investigate how to translate those insights into expanding science education.

My focus, while intersecting with these fields, always circles back to enhancing the teaching and learning of science.