Profile/About Me

Dr. Barbara Speziale is the associate director for academic affairs in the Watt Family Innovation Center and a professor of Biological Sciences. She previously served as associate dean in Undergraduate Studies and associate director in Public Service and Agriculture. She directs Clemson’s Creative Inquiry + Undergraduate Research program that supports team-based research experiences, in all academic disciplines, for more than 4,500 undergraduate students each year.

Dr. Speziale has been awarded more than $14.9M in external grants for life sciences research, outreach, and education. She recently completed the SC Life Education and Outreach program that provided science enrichment activities for K-12 students and teachers for 17 years, supported by $6.4M from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Undergraduate Science Education Program. With a $1.9M grant from the National Science Foundation, she established Clemson’s FIRST program to support students who are the first in their families to attend college. Her biological sciences research is focused on freshwater phytoplankton, nuisance cyanobacteria and water quality.

She has received national, state and university awards for education, service, and scientific awareness, including the South Carolina Governor’s Award for Scientific Awareness, the Society for Environmental Toxicology / Menzie-Cura Environmental Education Award, Clemson’s Martin Luther King Jr. Award for Excellence in Service and the Elliott Award for Outstanding Service to Off-Campus, Distance and Continuing Education.