Graduate Students

Abby Slovick (she/her) is a doctoral student in the Policy, Politics, and Leadership cluster in the School of Education. Her research interests encompass a variety of topics including technology in education, district governance, and democratic education.

Abby’s current research projects...Read more about Abby Slovick

Alice Taylor is a PhD candidate in the School of Education and pursues a designated emphasis in Gender, Women’s & Sexuality studies. Her research interests include: education and social movements; critical studies of race, class, and gender, and youth studies; and qualitative and especially...Read more about Alice Taylor

Allison Bradford is a doctoral student in the Learning Sciences and Human Development Cluster within the School of Education. She received her BS in Physics from the University of Maryland, and was a high school math and science teacher before attending graduate school.

...Read more about Allison Bradford

Allison Firestone is a doctoral candidate in the School of Education. Her research focuses broadly on equity-centered preservice teacher education, with an emphasis on building future teachers' capacity to enact a critically inclusive practice. Her dissertation is a mixed methods experiment that...Read more about Allison Firestone

Milly's research explores how student engagement in mathematical disciplinary practices can be leveraged towards advancing conceptual understanding of mathematics content. With a BA and MA in mathematics, Milly is interested in bringing powerful mathematics to all students. She has...Read more about Amelia Farid

Amy Banas is a doctoral student under the supervision of Dr. Elliot Turiel. She is a former NCAA Division I student-athlete and holds master's degrees in Global Studies and the Intersection of Sport and Education. Her master's thesis explored the use of sport in global peace and...Read more about Amy Banas

Andrew Galpern started his career teaching at Jefferson Elementary School and has worked as a classroom teacher; curriculum developer; program evaluator; and educational researcher. His current research interests include: assessment literacy; teacher education; assessment in Science and...Read more about Andrew Galpern

Andrew Estrada Phuong is a Chancellor’s Fellow, consultant, and program developer. He has a master's degree from Harvard University and has conducted mixed-methods experimental research. Phuong has studied how adaptive equity-oriented pedagogies and instructor professional development strategies...Read more about Andrew Phuong

Anna Zarkh is a PhD candidate in the Graduate Group in Science and Mathematics Education (SESAME). She holds BA and MA degrees in Mathematics, and a teaching certificate from Israel. Anna’s research focuses on university mathematics education, specializing in socio-cultural theories,...Read more about Anna Zarkh

Arlyn Moreno Luna is a doctoral candidate in the Critical Studies of Race, Class, and Gender program at UC Berkeley’s School of Education. Her scholarly interests include access and equity in higher education for first-generation and traditionally underrepresented students; students’...Read more about Arlyn Moreno Luna

Ashley Zhou is a PhD student in the Joint Doctoral Program in Special Education at the UC Berkeley School of Education and San Francisco State University. Originally from New Jersey, she completed her undergraduate thesis on Asian American women’s mental health and affective responses to...Read more about Ashley Zhou

Bowen is passionate about promoting the crucial role of input in learning a foreign language, that is, reading/listening to/watching what fascinates the learner in large amounts. He hopes to bridge the gap between research and the language learning/teaching practice by translating research-based...Read more about Bowen Wang

Brittney's research is focused on language development and, in particular, how children develop relational concepts through social interaction and embodied activity. Her current projects are related to language development among children who communicate using Augmentative and Alternative...Read more about Brittney Cooper

C. Darius Gordon is a 4th year PhD candidate. Broadly, they study 20th century intellectual and social histories of the Black Atlantic. Drawing insights from Black educational philosophy and activism, they make the case for understanding Black educational thought in/as a series of transnational...Read more about C. Darius Gordon

Caleb E. Dawson is a PhD candidate in Critical Studies of Race, Class, and Gender with a Designated Emphasis in Women, Gender, and Sexuality. Residing on the unceded land of Ohlone peoples, Caleb engages in humanistic social science research about educational institutions and social movements....Read more about Caleb Dawson

In a radically interconnected world, Catherine’s research focuses on how ethical, sociocultural, educational desires have turned toward the global. More specifically, she situates her current research project in rapidly urbanizing spaces in China, where urban development and the growth of...Read more about Catherine Park

Parker is a doctoral candidate in the Cognition and Development cluster at the School of Education. Parker's research interests lie at the intersection of education policy, teacher education, and transformational justice. She is currently conducting dissertation research on preservice...Read more about Clare Parker

Collette is a PhD student working at the intersection of Computer Science (CS) Education and Learning Sciences (LS). She has worked across a number of critical computing education projects and their respective incredible teams. One such incredible team includes Dr. Michelle Wilkerson and...Read more about Collette Roberto

Corrine Aramburo is a doctoral candidate in the Joint Doctoral Program in Special Education at UC Berkeley and San Francisco State University. Her research interests include special education teacher preparation; special education teacher knowledge; on-site administration; special...Read more about Corrine Aramburo

Cristina S. Méndez is a PhD student in the Critical Studies of Race, Class and Gender. She is also pursuing a designated emphasis in Indigenous Language Revitalization. Her research interests span disciplines, drawing on sociology, ethnic studies, migration studies, among others. Through her...Read more about Cristina Méndez

Cynthia Valencia-Ayala is a PhD candidate in the School Psychology program and a practicing school psychologist. Prior to coming to Berkeley and throughout her time in graduate school, Cynthia has worked to provide culturally relevant mental health services to youth experiencing carceral...Read more about Cynthia Valencia-Ayala

Danièle Fogel is doctoral candidate in the Critical Studies of Race, Class, and Gender cluster at the School of Education at UC Berkeley. She works to develop rigorous, interdisciplinary, and critical professional development for teachers on issues of racial and social justice; she does...Read more about Danièle Fogel

David is a formerly incarcerated PhD candidate in the School of Education. He grew up in Berkeley and Oakland and is interested in refusing/unsettling/troubling the logics of the university and the Carceral State from an abolitionist autonomous sensibility....Read more about David Maldonado

David Stevens is a doctoral student in the Social Research Methodologies cluster at the UC Berkeley School of Education. His research interests center on the development of alternative models for educational data analysis and their practical applications including informing instructional...Read more about David Stevens

Diana Casanova is a fourth-year doctoral candidate whose research examines the policies and practices that empower family and community stakeholders to affect social change. Her work explores the ways that families and communities participate in and impact education policymaking,...Read more about Diana Casanova

Edwin Carlos (He/Him) is a 1st year PhD student in the School Psychology program at the School of Education. He is a 2nd generation Filipino American from Renton, Wash., and graduated with a Bachelor's of Arts in psychology and a minor in education from Stanford University in 2020....Read more about Edwin Carlos

Elaine Luo is a 2nd year PhD student in the School Psychology Program at the School of Education. Prior to joining the BSE, Elaine received her MEd in Human Development and Psychology from Harvard Graduate School of Education in 2020 and her BA in Education Sciences from the University of...Read more about Elaine (Hua) Luo

Enrique Valencia López is a PhD student in the Policy, Politics and Leadership cluster at the School of Education. His research interests relate to three broad areas: the stratification of education by gender, immigration status and ethnicity; the measurement of teacher working conditions...Read more about Enrique Valencia López

Francis Rojas has been an educational leader at the two largest and diverse high schools in the Bay Area over the last 20 year - James Logan High School in Union City, Calif., (2002-2017) and Milpitas High School in Milpitas, Calif., (2017-current). He has served in various roles from...Read more about Francis Rojas

Franklin B. Mejía received a BA and a Masters in Education at the University of California, San Diego and is currently a 4th year graduate student in the School of Education at the University of California, Berkeley. Currently, he is finalizing his third prequalifying paper and is studying for...Read more about Franklin B. Mejía

Originally from Pakistan, Ali and his family immigrated to the United States and eventually settled in Englewood, New Jersey. As a proud New Jerseyan, he stayed in New Jersey and earned his Bachelor's degree in Biological Sciences at Rutgers University–New Brunswick, followed by a Master's...Read more about Haider Ali Bhatti

Heather Fink is a PhD candidate in Mathematics Education at the University of California, Berkeley. She has BA degrees in Economics and Mathematical Methods in the Social Sciences from Northwestern University. In addition, she has a single-subject mathematics teaching credential from Mills...Read more about Heather Fink

Hoyun Kim is a student in the 2020 cohort of the BSE's Education PhD program. Her research interests include the role of higher education; equity in higher education; and topics pertaining to student trajectory, such as student agency and peer/teacher effects.

Prior to the program, Hoyun...Read more about Hoyun Kim

Isabella C. Brown is both a Marcus Foster and Chancellor’s Doctoral Incentive Program Fellow. She holds an MA from San Francisco State University and is a second-year PhD student in the Joint Doctoral Program with the University of California, Berkeley. In Spring 2019, she was appointed to the...Read more about Isabella Brown

Jake grew up in rural New Hampshire in a family of teachers, and learned to admire educators from an early age. In college, he did his best to reconcile his interests in climate science and storytelling, graduating from Harvard with a BA in Environmental Science & Public Policy and a minor...Read more about Jacob Barton

Jacqueline Anton is a student in the Joint Doctoral Program in Special Education. Her research addresses embodied mathematics interventions for students with moderate/ extensive support needs. She is also interested in inclusive mathematics pedagogy and teacher education. Her work is inspired by...Read more about Jacqueline Anton

Jeremy’s research explores the role of venture philanthropy in K-12 education. More specifically, he is interested in the role of philanthropic organizations that are founded by or led by people of color. Using political science as a disciplinary framework, his work explores the relationship...Read more about Jeremy Martin

Joy Esboldt is a doctoral candidate in the Critical Studies of Race, Class, and Gender cluster at the University of California, Berkeley’s School of Education. Her research focuses on teachers’ learning about race, racism, and anti-racism as it intersects with gender and cultural politics. Joy’s...Read more about Joy Esboldt

Julia Zhu is a doctoral candidate in the Critical Studies of Race, Class, and Gender program at UC Berkeley’s School of Education. Her work explores the ways that college students in China perceive social class and meritocracy, and how social economic and educational changes have shaped their...Read more about Julia Zhu

Julian Levine grew up in Berkeley, and has lived here most of his life. He completed his undergraduate degree in economics at UC San Diego (with a minor in psychology). After that, he spent a few years working as an English instructor in Seoul, and volunteering with TNKR (Teach North Korean...Read more about Julian Levine

Julien Putz is a first-year doctoral student in the Graduate Group of Science and Mathematics Education (SESAME) at UC Berkeley. His primary advisor is Prof. Dor Abrahamson and he is an active member of the Embodied Design Research Laboratory. He is interested in understanding and modelling the...Read more about Julien Putz

Julissa is a third year PhD student in the School Psychology program at UC Berkeley. She was born and raised in Southern California to two hard-working immigrant parents from Mexico and El Salvador. Julissa, a first generation college student, completed her undergraduate studies at UC Irvine and...Read more about Julissa Navas

Kelly is a first-year doctoral student at the University of California, Berkeley. As a former science teacher in Oakland, Calif., Kelly’s work is deeply informed by her teaching experience and former students. Her research interests include STEM teacher education, science curriculum development...Read more about Kelly Billings

Kevin Quintero (He/Him/His) is a PhD student in the Policy, Politics, and Leadership cluster at UC Berkeley’s School of Education. Kevin’s research interests are using methodological and theoretical approaches to reveal the causes of political, social, and educational inequalities. His current...Read more about Kevin Quintero

A California Bay Area native, Laleh has always been interested in education, music, writing, and people. In her 20s, she discovered a passion for human health and began studying biology at the local community college. As an undergraduate, she was involved in research in molecular biology;...Read more about Laleh Coté

As a Learning Scientist, Darryl's research investigates how STEM students can academically excel within oppressive social systems filled with negative gender and racial stereotypes.

He is interested in designing means, as informed by the theory of embodied cognition, by which...Read more about Lieutenant Darryl Diptee

Maedeh Golshirazi is a PhD candidate in the School Psychology program at UC Berkeley. Before coming to Berkeley, Maedeh received her MA in Child Development from Tufts University, and BA in Psychology from Isfahan University, Iran.

Maedeh's research interests include social-emotional...Read more about Maedeh Golshirazi

María Rojas is a Chilean PhD candidate at the School of Education at UC Berkeley. In Chile, she earned her Bachelor’s degree in journalism and worked as a journalist for international affairs at CNN Chile. She became interested in specializing in education after working for two years as a...Read more about María Rojas

Meg Escudé is a phd student in the Learning Sciences and Human Development cluster. Her research engages community-based afterschool educators in the co-development of liberatory learning experiences for young people. Meg has over 12 years of experience as an educator and program director in...Read more about Meg Escudé

Meg Everett is a doctoral student in the Learning Sciences and Human Development cluster with a Designated Emphasis in New Media. Her research interests include student literacy practices, participatory technologies, computer-mediated learning and communication, and the intersection of...Read more about Meg Everett

Megan Frogley is a master’s student in the Cultural Studies of Sport in Education (aligned with Critical Studies in Race and Gender) within the School of Education. She received her BA in Sport, Exercise and Physical Activity from the University of Durham in England in 2015, in addition to...Read more about Megan Frogley

Monica Thomas is a first-year doctoral student in Cohort 1 of the Leadership for Equity and Democracy (LEAD) program in the UC Berkeley School of Education. Her research interests include school improvement and central office reform and the role local politics and community engagement play...Read more about Monica Thomas

Mónica Zegers is a PhD candidate in the Human Development and Education program at the BSE. She was born and raised in Chile, where she earned a BA in Psychology and a professional degree in Clinical Psychology, both at Pontificia Universidad Católica of Chile. She later worked for two years as...Read more about Mónica Zegers Larrain

Nicole is a third year PhD student in the School Psychology program within the School of Education. She graduated from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Oneonta in 2019 with a B.S. in Psychology and a minor in Educational Psychology.

She is currently focusing her research on...Read more about Nicole Faraci

Olufemi “Femi” Ogundele (he/him/his) is a first year doctoral student in UC Berkeley's educational doctorate, Leaders for Equity and Democracy (LEAD). In his capacity as Associate Vice Chancellor of Admissions & Enrollment, Femi provides vision, strategy and leadership in the...Read more about Olufemi Ogundele

Pa Vue is a PhD student in the Critical Studies of Race, Class, and Gender cluster at the School of Education at UC Berkeley. She is also in the Designated Emphasis in Indigenous Language Revitalization. Her research interests are in Hmong language resilience, reclamation, and revitalization....Read more about Pa Vue

Qifan Zhang is a PhD student in the Graduate School of Education at the University of California, Berkeley, with a concentration in Policy, Politics, and Leadership. Qifan graduated from Tianjin University and received her Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. From there, she continued...Read more about Qifan Zhang

Quennie Dong is a first-year doctoral student in the School Psychology program at UC Berkeley. Quennie graduated from the University of California, Irvine with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Social Behavior and minor in Education. She then attended Florida International University and...Read more about Quennie Dong

Rachel Williams is a PhD candidate in the School of Education at the University of California, Berkeley. Her work explores the linkages between the political economy, segregation, education policy, and Black politics. Her dissertation utilizes qualitative and spatial methods to examine the...Read more about Rachel Elizabeth Williams

Ratih is a first-year PhD student in the cluster of Learning Science and Human Development (LSHD) and is interested in embodied cognition, design-based research, ethnomathematics, cultural funds of knowledge, and cross-cultural epistemic diversity.

She obtained her BA from Universitas...Read more about Ratih Ayu Apsari

Rose Cartwright is a doctoral candidate in the School of Education’s School Psychology program, where she earned her Personal Pupil Services (PPS) credential with a specialization in School Psychology. She works under the advisement of Professor Elliot Turiel – as well as other faculty in the...Read more about Rose Cartwright

Samuel Santos Jr. [he/him/his], is a first year doctoral student in UC Berkeley’s educational doctorate, Leaders for Equity and Democracy (LEAD). He is a student affairs practitioner with more than 15 years of leadership experience in post-secondary educational settings. Passionate about...Read more about Samuel Santos Jr.

Sandra Zuñiga-Ruiz is a doctoral candidate in the School of Education at the University of California, Berkeley. Prior to her education at Berkeley, she obtained a BS in Mathematics from CSU Monterey Bay and an MA in Mathematics from San Francisco State University. As a mathematics graduate...Read more about Sandra Zuñiga-Ruiz

Sarah Manchanda is pursuing a PhD in School Psychology at the University of California, Berkeley. Her lived experiences as a disabled woman of color shape her research interests, clinical work, and advocacy efforts in graduate school. Sarah is driven by a firm commitment to promote inclusive...Read more about Sarah Manchanda

Shruti's research focuses on exploring inequalities in education. She believes that the undeniable relationship between racial inequalities and educational inequalities represents a societal failure that betrays the spirit of humanity. She is looking at macro issues such as racial and economic...Read more about Shruti Bathia

Siqi is a first-year PhD student in the Graduate Group of Science and Mathematics Education (SESAME) at UC Berkeley. Her primary advisor is Prof. Alan H. Schoenfeld and she is an active member of the Functions group and the Teaching for Robust Understanding (TRU) research group. Siqi is...Read more about Siqi Huang

Sofia Tancredi conducts design-based research on sensory and perceptual aspects of learning with an emphasis on neurodiverse learners’ sensory experiences, drawing upon embodied cognition theory. Her work is inspired by her background working with K-12 learners, particularly students identified...Read more about Sofia Tancredi

Talia Leibovitz (she/her/hers) is a doctoral candidate in School Psychology in the Graduate School of Education at the University of California, Berkeley. Her research explores how white parents’ school choices for their children are informed and shaped by policy; notions of merit;...Read more about Talia Leibovitz

Tu Moua Carroz is part of the inaugural cohort of the Leaders for Equity and Democracy (LEAD) program, here at the School of Education at UC Berkeley. She firmly believes all students must be provided the opportunities to reach their highest potential regardless of race, class, income or...Read more about Tu Moua Carroz

Vicky is a PhD candidate in the SESAME program and a member of the CoRE lab (Computational Representations in Education). She is interested in better understanding and supporting productive engagement in mathematical argumentation. Proofs have a central place in her work, and she employs low-...Read more about Vasiliki (Vicky) Laina

Vianney A. Gavilanes is a doctoral candidate in the Critical Studies of Race, Class and Gender. As a self-identified Mexican migrant child educated in California’s public K-12 schools and universities, she is committed to serving racially and linguistically minoritized students like...Read more about Vianney A. Gavilanes

Viviane is currently a doctoral student in School Psychology at the University of California, Berkeley working under the supervision of Dr. Elliot Turiel. She is also a nationally certified school psychologist and a registered psychological assistant. Her decision to enter school psychology...Read more about Viviane Chang

Weiying is a PhD student in Learning Sciences and Human Development cluster in the School of Education at UC Berkeley. She is pursuing a Designated Emphasis in New Media. In partnership with teachers from rural China and California, her current research focuses on: 1) designing culturally...Read more about Weiying Li

Xinyu (Celia) Wei is a first-year student in the Learning Sciences and Human Development program at the School of Education at UC Berkeley. As an international scholar from China, Xinyu desires to help students celebrate productive struggles, leverage everyday experiences, and develop...Read more about Xinyu (Celia) Wei

Yared is a PhD student in the Learning Sciences and Human Development cluster at UC Berkeley’s School of Education with a focus on Language, Literacy, and Culture. Before graduate school, Yared was a community organizer and educator in South Philadelphia where she worked with the Latinx...Read more about Yared Portillo

Yi (Joe) Zhou is an international student from China. He is a PhD student in the Learning Sciences and Human Development cluster at UC Berkeley's School of Education, advised by Professor Elliot Turiel. Yi is hugely interested in the broad topic of morality, and enjoys reading ethical theories...Read more about Yi Zhou

Zoe Silverman is a doctoral student in Learning Sciences & Human Development at UC Berkeley. She is interested in object-based teaching and learning, embodied cognition, sensory studies, inquiry and interpretation in the arts, museum historiography, and joint attention. Her current project...Read more about Zoe Silverman