Gardner Fellow

Catilin Ahearn

Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Stanford University

Haider Ali Bhatti

Postdoctoral Fellow, NSF STEM Education
University of California, Santa Cruz
2023-24 Gardner Fellow

Hello, I'm Ali! I'm currently an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellow at UC Santa Cruz. Prior to this, I got my Bachelor's degree in Biological Sciences at Rutgers University–New Brunswick and then went on to get my Master's in Biological Science Education at the Rutgers Graduate School of Education. After graduating, I taught high school biology and also worked at Khan Academy as a biology content fellow. After Khan Academy, I returned to school to get my PhD in Science and Math Education in the SESAME program at UC Berkeley.

I am determined to make undergraduate...

Alex Brostoff

Assistant Professor
Kenyon College
2019-20 Gardner Fellow

Alex Brostoff is Assistant Professor of English at Kenyon College, where they are affiliated faculty in Gender and Sexuality Studies, American Studies, and the Latinx Studies Concentration. An interdisciplinary scholar and translator, their work converges at the crossroads of genre-hybrid literatures, literary and critical theory, and trans and queer cultural production in modern and contemporary hemispheric American studies. Their first book, Unruly Relations: A Critical Reframing of Autotheory, is under advance contract with Columbia University Press. They are also the...

Liza Chavac

Research Analyst
University of California, Merced
2023-24 Gardner Fellow

Valeria Dominguez

Postdoctoral Researcher
University of California, Los Angeles
2022-23 Gardner Fellow

I am a higher education researcher and practitioner with over 10 years of experience in student affairs, higher education advocacy, non-profit leadership, university teaching, research, and mentorship. My research expands between the study of higher education governance and leadership to inclusive university teaching practices. Overall, the mission of my work is to create equitable systems that support thriving diverse populations.

Nick Gebbia

Fellow
Hoover Institution
Stanford University
2022-23 Gardner Fellow

Welcome! I am a Hoover Fellow at Stanford's Hoover Institution. I completed my Ph.D. in Economics at UC Berkeley in 2024.

My primary fields are Public Economics and Labor Economics.

My current research addresses the following questions:

Job Market Paper 23-24: College aid in the US is means-tested against...

Kirtsen Hextrum

Assistant Professor, Coordinator of the College Student Services Administration (CSSA) Program
Oregon State

Wesley Jeffrey

Postdoctoral Researcher
University of California, Merced
2023-24 Gardner Fellow

I am passionate about better understanding what leads to social inequality in the U.S. I am especially interested in helping to uncover the processes and mechanisms that shape unequal access, persistence, and success in higher education. I am dedicated to finding real-life solutions to persistent inequality utilizing education as a means to equitable opportunity for all.

Elizabeth Martin

Research Analyst, Higher Education Research Institute
University of California, Los Angeles
2022-23 Gardner Fellow

I am a current PhD graduate of the Higher Education and Organizational Change program at UCLA. I’m an incoming Senior Analyst: Research, Assessment, and Planning within UCLA’s Student Affairs Information and Research Office.

My dissertation examined the types of students likely to place importance on college rankings, and it also determined the extent to which the use of college rankings impacts outcomes like sense of belonging, academic adjustment, and overall satisfaction.

I’ve also worked at UCLA’s Higher Education Research Institute, where...

Jamaal Muwwaakkil

Chancellor's Postdoctoral Fellow
University of California, Los Angeles
2022-23 Gardner Fellow

After transferring from Los Angeles City College, I earned a BA in Applied Linguistics from UCLA with College and Departmental Honors as a Mellon Mays Undergraduate Research Fellow. After getting an MA in linguistics in 2019, I am currently a PhD candidate in the department of Linguistics at UCSB. My research specializations are African American Language and Culture, Political Discourse, and Educational Linguistics.

I am originally from...