Di Xu
Professor & HERA Lab DirectorHigher education policy, online learning, workforce education, and causal evaluation.
Team
People behind the research
Higher education researchers and policy advocates. Explore their profiles and research
Directors
Lab leadership and research direction
Staff
Research, data, and lab operations
Madina Safdari
Staff Research Associate IIResearch operations and project work in higher education, student success, and online learning.
Yiwen Wu
AI Education Applications DeveloperHCI, EdTech, Cyber-Physical Systems
Leanna Fong
Lab ManagerProgram Evaluation, Faculty and Student Programming, STEM Education
Postdoctoral Scholars
Postdoctoral researchers
Daman Chhikara
Postdoctoral ScholarEducation policy, institutional structures, classroom relationships, and equity.
Michael Cooper
Postdoctoral ScholarNontraditional postsecondary pathways, workforce credentials, and student success.
XunFei Li
Postdoctoral ScholarHigher Education, Policy Evaluation, College Pathways
Graduate Student Researchers
Doctoral researchers and research assistants
Yan Feng
Graduate Student ResearcherHigher education policy, student success, educational technology, and STEM equity.
Jinwon Kim
Graduate Student ResearcherLearning Analytics, Course Design, AI in Education
Gala M. Ledezma
Graduate Student ResearcherHigher education policy, college access, online teaching, and educational equity.
Jenny Lee
Graduate Student ResearcherOnline learning, higher education, equity
Hongjiao Li
Graduate Student ResearcherHigher Education Policy, AI and Educational Inequality, and College-to-Career Transitions.
Michael Span
Graduate Student ResearcherEducation Policy, Tuition Incentives, Education Finance
Winnie Yee
Graduate Student Researcherhigher education policy, and social mobility
Yumeng Zhang
Graduate Student ResearcherHigher education policy, developmental education reform, student success, and equity.
Yuxuan Xiong
Graduate Student ResearcherEducation Economics, AI4Edu, Higher Education Policy.
Collaborators
External research partners
Alumni
Former HERA researchers
