Elizabeth MacTavish is a clinical professor in the elementary education program in the Department of Theory and Practice in Teacher Education at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Pre-Teaching Science from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in 2000. The following year, she completed the professional internship program and earned a Masters of Science in Science Education at UTK. MacTavish moved to Orlando, Florida following graduation and taught science for 3 years at Liberty Middle School. In 2004, she returned to Knoxville and taught science for the next 12 years at Farragut Middle School. In 2016, MacTavish completed her Ph.D. at UTK in Teacher Education with a specialty in science education. Upon graduation, she joined the TPTE faculty. 

Professor MacTavish teaches several courses in the teacher licensure program including undergraduate and graduate elementary science courses. She also serves as an elementary education cohort supervisor supporting and advising graduate students as they navigate the professional internship program.

MacTavish’s research focuses on the science identity construction of K-12 students through the lens of their science experiences in both their personal lives and the science classroom. Her research primarily targets focusing on recognizing successful blueprints of STEM programs in middle schools and supporting schools in the development and implementation of their own STEM programs.