Pereira named Feldhusen Term Associate Professor of Gifted Education

Nielsen Pereira
September 23, 2026

The Purdue University Office of the Provost gave the College of Education permission to appoint Nielsen Pereira as the John Feldhusen Term Associate Professor of Gifted, Talented, and Creative Education for five years (as of August 17, 2026).

Pereira is an associate professor of gifted, creative, and talented studies in the College’s Department of Educational Studies and executive director of the Gifted Education Research and Resource Institute. The creation of the Feldhusen Term Associate Professorship was made possible by a very generous donation from Sidney Moon, Purdue professor emerita of gifted, creative, and talented studies.

In 1978 John Feldhusen founded Purdue’s Gifted Education Resource Institute – now the Gifted Education Research and Resource Institute – which will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2028. The institute is an innovative center dedicated to the discovery, study, and development of human potential.

“This appointment is a profound honor and a testament to the enduring legacy of John Feldhusen, whose visionary founding of GER²I laid the foundation for a world-class institute dedicated to advancing gifted education,” Pereira said. “As the Feldhusen Term Associate Professor, I am committed to building on the contributions of Dr. Feldhusen and the institute’s previous directors by expanding GER²I’s impact through innovative research, meaningful partnerships, and advocacy for gifted and talented learners.”

Christine Rienstra-Kiracofe, head of the Department of Educational Studies, shared some of the extremely supportive external review letters that helped lead to Pereira’s appointment:

  • “Pereira’s record of influential scholarship, national recognition, sustained external funding, and leadership of a premier research institute firmly establish him as a scholar of national and international stature, I offer my unequivocal support for his appointment.”
  • “While serving as Vice Provost for Academic Affairs, I reviewed approximately hundreds of applications for senior faculty and endowed chairs and can state unequivocally, in my professional opinion, Dr. Pereira would be an outstanding recipient of this honor.”
  • “I am impressed with [Pereira’s] scholarship, outreach, grant success, and administrative excellence at GER2I. He is recognized both nationally and internationally for his work.”
  • “Having known Dr. Feldhusen and the vision he had for Purdue to be a significant institution that produces scholars in the field of gifted education, he would be very proud to know that his vision is being carried forward by Dr. Pereira. I hope that the committee bestows this honor on Dr. Pereira because he is well-deserving of the title.”

As further support for his appointment, Pereira was recently elected to the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) Board of Directors.

“This is a rare honor – even more impressive because he was elected as an at-large member of the [NAGC] Board,” said Phillip J. VanFossen, the Suzi and Dale Gallagher Dean of Education.

Pereira’s research interests include conceptual, contextual, and measurement issues in the identification of gifted and talented populations; design and assessment of learning in varied gifted and talented education contexts; and understanding gifted and talented student experiences in talent development programs in and out of school. He has received research grants from the U.S. Department of Education, the National Science Foundation, and the American Psychological Foundation. He was the recipient of the 2020 Early Scholar Award from the National Association for Gifted Children and the 2019 Pathbreaker Award from the American Educational Research Association Research on Giftedness, Creativity, and Talent special interest group.

“I am especially grateful to Professor Emerita Sidney Moon for her generosity and to the College of Education for recognizing the importance of this role,” Pereira said. “I am also deeply mindful of the influence of Marcia Gentry, my doctoral advisor, mentor, and the director who preceded me, whose leadership helped shape both my professional journey and the continued growth of the institute. I look forward to helping lead GER²I into its next chapter as we continue to advance the discovery, study, and development of human potential.”

The creation of this named term associate professorship brings the College of Education’s total of named or distinguished professorships to eight.

“We know you will all join us in congratulating Professor Pereira on receipt of this honor and in thanking Professor Emerita Moon for her generous support,” VanFossen said.

Source: Phillip J. VanFossen