Director for Center for Teaching and Learning
He/him/his
Daniel Sanford is a higher education administrator whose work bridges research on learning with practical strategies for inclusive, evidence-based teaching. Dr. Sanford leads campus-wide faculty development efforts, curricular innovation, and student success initiatives grounded in evidence-based teaching practices, and the science of how people learn.
Trained as a cognitive linguist, Dr. Sanford earned his Ph.D. from the University of New Mexico, where his research focused on the role of metaphor in shaping human thought—a field that explores how language both reflects and structures our understanding of the world. He has published widely on this subject and continues to apply cognitive principles to improve the ways educators engage students across disciplines.
Dr. Sanford brings extensive experience in academic leadership, having previously served as Director of Writing and of the Academic Resource Commons at Bates College, and as Director of the Center for Academic Program Support at the University of New Mexico. In these roles, he championed faculty development programs, writing support, and peer-led learning models that center the lived experiences and cognitive strengths of diverse learners. He holds the Certified Learning Center Professional Lifetime Achievement Award from the International College Learning Center Association.
An expert in brain-based learning and student-centered pedagogy, Dr. Sanford is the author of The Rowman & Littlefield Guide for Peer Tutors, a widely used training text that equips undergraduate tutors with tools rooted in learning science. He is also the co-author of The Rowman & Littlefield Guide to Learning Center Administration, a foundational resource for academic support leaders, and the lead editor of The Rowman & Littlefield Handbook of Peer Tutoring, a volume that curates current empirical research on the emerging, international, interdisciplinary field of peer learning in higher education.
His work focuses on making learning science practical for both educators and students and on supporting programs that help learners navigate college with greater confidence and clarity.