Brandon Sorge has spent his entire career in education.
He’s taught high school math, worked as a K–12 administrator, and served as the director for the Indiana STEM Resource Network.
That’s when he made a switch to higher education. He’s taught on the Indianapolis campus for years but joined the O’Neill School in August 2025 as part of the school’s Community and Organizational Leadership Studies faculty.
“My research interests and teaching have always aligned with O’Neill, and it has always been somewhere I wanted to end up working,” Sorge admits.
Sorge’s research focuses on studying policies and initiatives that aim to cultivate a civically engaged, STEM-literate workforce—with a special emphasis on diversity within STEM.
“I hope my research helps people become more comfortable with STEM and STEM-related areas while also helping them understand the impact their actions have on society and the world around them,” he explains.
When taught correctly, Sorge says, courses that integrate STEM can help create and build communities that are more civically minded with people who question things in a way that can help solve problems.
That’s exactly how he found his place within the O’Neill School, teaching the next generation of leaders.
“The type of research I do goes hand-in-hand with teaching,” he says. “Or perhaps more importantly, the type of teaching I do goes hand-in-hand with my research areas.”
When Sorge reflects on his years working with students, he says the change he sees in them is what has had the most profound impact on him.
“I like the interactions and energy you can get from an engaged classroom,” he says. “Even more so, I like to watch the growth of my students not only in the course but over time—how they help one another view things from different perspectives and grow as individuals.”
But he admits the students aren’t the only ones evolving through the process. He says students in his class and those with whom he collaborates on research have helped reshape his world view and how he approaches his work.
“I like seeing them grow as researchers, but even more so, I like how they help me grow as a researcher, instructor, and human,” he adds.
For Sorge, it’s critical to include his students in the research process outside of the classroom. He credits research as an important part of the learning and development process for students, and one of the many ways in which students can enhance their learning experience at O’Neill.
“The opportunities that can come from an education with and a degree from O’Neill are amazing,” he stresses. “Even more so, O’Neill programs are important to advancing our society.”
