Emily E. Richardson, Ed.D., is an Adjunct Professor of qualitative research and educational inquiry at the University of Missouri–St. Louis. She holds a Doctorate in Education from Teachers College, Columbia University, where her work focused on international education, with a specific focus on teacher motivation and wellbeing, and equity-centered approaches to qualitative inquiry. As a teacher educator and scholar-practitioner, she draws on years of experience supporting graduate and doctoral students as they develop the analytical, writing, and critical thinking skills necessary to design rigorous studies and navigate the dissertation process.
Dr. Richardson’s research and teaching interests center on qualitative methodologies, experiential learning, and the translation of research into practical organizational and community impact. She employs methods such as thematic analysis, narrative inquiry, and interpretive frameworks to investigate how individuals and organizations make meaning, solve problems, and pursue improvement. She has taught courses spanning the research process, advanced qualitative methods, academic writing, and data-informed decision-making for educational leaders.
Dr. Richardson also serves as the Director of Business Operations at Washington University in St. Louis’s Olin Business School Center for Experiential Learning. In this role, she leads strategic partnerships with nonprofits, small businesses, corporate partners, and community organizations. She also teaches Data Storytelling and Data Fundamentals at WashU.
Beyond her university appointments, Dr. Richardson actively collaborates with education, nonprofit, and community leaders to strengthen research capacity, advance equity-focused practices, and cultivate partnerships that create measurable impact in St. Louis and beyond. She is passionate about preparing students and practitioners to conduct meaningful, high-quality research that improves organizations, communities, and educational systems.
Published Research Areas
- Qualitative Methods in Education Research
- Teacher motivation and wellbeing
- Policy analysis
