Dr. Lear has a B.A. in English and Psychology from the College of William and Mary, an M.A. from Wake Forest University in English, and a Ph.D. in English from the University of Houston. Prior to accepting a position with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, she completed a year as a Marion L. Brittain Postdoctoral Fellow in the School of Literature, Media, and Communication at Georgia Tech. Dr. Lear's research interests include digital pedagogy, literature of the American South, science fiction, and women's literature.