The Clemson University College of Education welcomes a new faculty member in Spring 2026 who will assume a new, endowed distinguished position in the College. As the Eugene T. Moore Endowed Distinguished Professor, Jonathan Templin brings extensive experience in the intersection of quantitative research and the social sciences. He will serve in the second endowed position in the College’s history.
Throughout the application process to Clemson, Templin was impressed with the College’s efforts to connect research in education with tangible improvements in schools, communities and policy. Although Templin’s work dives deep into data and analysis, he said the root motivation and the desired result could not be simpler.
“Using quantitative tools to better understand how people learn is what first drew me into this research, and it keeps me engaged to this day,” Templin said. “Without solid measurement, we can’t tell whether our teaching practices or policies are working. Statistics helps us see the invisible patterns in learning and turn them into insights that improve education.”
Templin said he is excited about the position because it creates an opportunity to expand the reach and impact of research in learning sciences — specifically at the intersection of psychometrics, data science and educational practice. His goal is to advance methodological innovation by combining modern tools, such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, with traditional measurement models to more accurately predict learning outcomes and identify learner strengths and weaknesses.
Templin said Eugene T. Moore’s story adds a layer of meaning to this endowed position for him. The fact that the endowment is named in honor of someone who lived the everyday realities of education reminds me that research ultimately serves practitioners and learners. Templin believes endowed positions are important because they create stability and capacity for long-term, high-impact work.
“For me, holding an endowed distinguished professorship in his name is both a privilege and a responsibility to ensure that advanced research in learning sciences stays grounded in practice and benefits those working directly with students,” Templin said. “It’s an opportunity to connect methodological innovation in the service of the Moore family’s enduring belief in education as a public good.”
Templin cites his work in the Kansas City area as proof of the power of data-informed research and its effect in the “real world.” He and his team developed benchmark assessments that proved highly predictive of how students performed on state assessments. This information provided districts with an early indication of whether their curriculum was on track and enabled teachers to monitor student progress in real-time, rather than waiting months for state results.
The focus on research-practice partnerships such as this is what drew Templin to Clemson – likewise, College leadership saw in him the expertise to increase and improve its existing outreach efforts and partnerships. According to Kristin M. Gehsmann, dean of the College of Education, the endowed position will provide the platform to lead interdisciplinary projects that connect data-driven research with applied educational improvement.
“Dr. Templin embodies the College’s commitment to connecting cutting-edge research with educational practice,” Gehsmann said. “His leadership will accelerate innovation across disciplines and deepen our partnerships with schools and agencies throughout South Carolina.”
Templin did not set out to become one of the premier quantitative researchers in the field of educational research. He shared that he actually failed several math classes in high school; he saw math then as just an exercise in logic with no real practical use. One statistics course in college changed all of that, when his professor connected math to something tangible. This newfound understanding led him to psychometrics and a Ph.D. in quantitative psychology, where he recognized the potential of statistical and measurement methods to enhance educational research and practice.
When he looks back, there were signs of a spark that he hadn’t recognized.
“As a kid, I loved playing a simulation-based baseball games and seeing how chance shaped outcomes,” Templin said. “That’s where I started thinking about uncertainty, data and prediction, even if I didn’t know the terms for it yet.”
Templin most recently served as a professor and the E.F. Lindquist Chair in the Department of Psychological and Quantitative Foundations at the University of Iowa. While holding this position, Templin also served as co-director of the Center for Advanced Studies in Measurement and Assessment (CASMA).
Templin served as principal or co-principal investigator on more than $32 million in external awards. His work has appeared in over 60 peer-reviewed journal articles in top-tier journals, as well as 38 book chapters and technical reports.
Templin earned a Ph.D. in psychology and master’s degrees in both psychology and statistics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from California State University, Sacramento.
