Barbara Zorn, PhD

Dr. Zorn brings more than 30 years of experience in business and educational leadership to online graduate programs at UAGC. Her pioneering work in online commodity trading evolved into a career of service focused on transforming the higher education landscape by delivering innovative, yet practical learning opportunities to ambitious students.

Dr. Zorn’s career is marked by many firsts, including the brokerage management of the first 24-hour online global commodity trading system (Globex) and the development of the first online Bachelor's and Master's biology degrees. The UAGC graduate programs mark another important first; they are the first set of online doctoral degrees to balance a culture of care with the driving force of economic return for our students through the acquisition of high-demand skills.

Since joining the University in 2011, Dr. Zorn has served in the roles of Associate Dean, Associate Director of Graduate Research, Department Chair, Program Chair, and Professor. She has received numerous grants, fellowships, and awards including a teaching fellowship from The U.S. National Science Foundation to improve math and science education in the Chicago Public School system. In 2019, she won “Best in Class” Research Award at the National Online Learning Consortium Conference for her work in Big Data Analytics.

Prior to joining UAGC, she served as a faculty lecturer and thesis advisor for the M.S. in Plant Biology and Conservation degree at Northwestern University. Dr. Zorn holds a Ph.D. in Biological Sciences from the University of Illinois, Chicago and a B.A. in Environmental Studies from Lake Forest College. Her publications are available on Google Scholar.