Thomas “TJ” McKenna
Clinical Assistant Professor in Science Education and Program Director for AI & Education, Wheelock College of Education and Human Development
Thomas “TJ” McKenna is a clinical assistant professor of science education and program director for AI & Education at Boston University Wheelock College of Education & Human Development, where he also directs the Center for STEM Professional Learning at Scale. His work examines how AI is reshaping teaching and learning. As a researcher and builder, he designs AI-enabled supports for curriculum implementation, instructional coaching, and professional learning that strengthen rather than replace teachers’ and students’ thinking.
McKenna can speak to generative AI in K–12 classrooms, AI and assessment, teacher professional learning, science education and the Next Generation Science Standards, classroom discourse, and sensemaking. He delivers invited keynotes across the United States and presents internationally. He is the author of Making Sense of Sensemaking (Teachers College Press/NSTA Press, 2025) and founder of NGSSPhenomena.com, which has reached educators in more than 100 countries. He received BU’s 2026 Gitner Family Award for Innovation in Teaching with Technology.