Dr. Nikki Sawyer is a neuroscientist and award-winning university educator who helps students reason through Anatomy & Physiology instead of relying on isolated memorization.
Dr. Sawyer holds a Ph.D. in Neuroscience and has taught in higher education since 2008. Across 18 years of university teaching, she has helped students learn Anatomy & Physiology I and II, biology, neurobiology, histology, laboratory methods, and anatomy through dissections and models.
Her teaching also draws on substantial educational-technology experience and training in evidence-based science education. She uses visual explanations and clear language to connect structures with functions, help students reason through unfamiliar questions, and make difficult science manageable without oversimplifying it.
Dr. Sawyer combines deep subject knowledge with recognized teaching practice and a sustained focus on how students learn science.
Sawyer, N.T., & Frenzel, K.E. (2018). “Epilepsy and the Action Potential: Using Case Based Instruction and Primary Literature in a Neurobiology Course.” The Journal of Undergraduate Neuroscience Education, 16(2), C7–C10.
Understanding is more durable than a pile of disconnected facts.
Build a map of why anatomy looks the way it does and how that supports physiology.
Use diagrams, models, specimen photographs, and clear annotation to make relationships visible.
Develop ways to approach unfamiliar questions rather than memorizing only one familiar example.