[ Watch the Noemi Linares-Ramirez interview on YouTube ]
Noemi Linares-Ramirez recently completed her PhD in Sociology from the University of California, Irvine. Her research examines how racially underrepresented groups (Black, Latinx, and Native American) demand and experience change in educational institutions. She is especially interested in how race shapes the role that students, school personnel, and external organizations play in the outcomes of diversity initiatives in education settings. Her dissertation examined the experiences of low-income, racially diverse students in free STEM programs sponsored by technology companies. This research identified factors, agents, and/or individuals that are important for understanding the achievement, motivation, and retention of students within STEM. With an emphasis on comprehensive school experiences, this work is part of a broader conversation on race, class, equality, and education. Noemi engages primarily with qualitative methods (interviews and ethnography) but has also developed and analyzed surveys as well as assessments. Her research has been supported by the National Science Foundation, the Mellon Mays Foundation, and the Social Science Research Council.
