Dr. Abha Gupta, (Ph.D., Language, Reading, and Culture, University of Arizona, 1991) teaches graduate-level courses in Reading education. She joined the faculty of the Darden College of Education at Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia in 1997.  Currently, she is an Associate Professor of Reading in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction.  Dr. Gupta's research interests are focused on literacy across all age groups, in general.  Some of her currently ongoing research addresses the instructional use of reading strategies in science education among adolescent learners (grades 4 through 8), as well as the impact of multimedia on reading achievement.  She has previously served as the director (1997-2005) of the Reading Center and the federally funded America Reads Program. Dr. Gupta provided oversight for the tutoring curriculum, planning and program development; trained reading tutors, coordinated the large-scale program spread over multiple public schools and also evaluated the program impact on student achievement and tutor experiences. Before joining the university, she gained valuable teaching experience as a Title I Reading Specialist at an elementary school (K-5) in Hampton, Virginia.  Prior to her doctorate in Reading, Dr. Gupta received a Master's degree in Linguistics from the University of Arizona, and a Master of Philosophy in Linguistics from the University of Delhi, India.

Dr. Gupta has published extensively in the field of reading, language and literacy education.  Some of her publications have appeared in The Reading Teacher, Reading Online, Journal of Linguistics and Education, The Reading Matrix and Reading Instruction Journal. She has co-edited a book on At-Risk Population: Socio-Linguistic and Educational Issues (in press) and is currently working on another book, The Changing Roles of Literacy Specialist, under contract with Merrill, Prentice Hall.
Dr. Gupta has made several presentations at international, national, state and local conferences. She has been engaged as a consultant with the Educational Testing Service (ETS). In recent past, she has also been a consultant for the American Institute of Research, Washington, DC. For the past few years, she has also been a member of the International Reading Association's National Task Force for Urban Diversity.

Dr. Gupta has been the recipient of many grants including corporate, federal and state grants. Her most recent grant has been the Title II, No Child Left Behind grant on Teacher Quality Improvement funded by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV).