{"id":112,"date":"2016-11-10T18:41:25","date_gmt":"2016-11-10T18:41:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/cerse\/?page_id=112"},"modified":"2026-04-08T20:21:50","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T20:21:50","slug":"staff-students","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/cerse\/about\/staff-students\/","title":{"rendered":"Staff & Students"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Elizabeth Litzler\u00a0<\/strong>
\n<\/strong>Director<\/em> \u00a0|\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0elitzler@uw.edu<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Elizabeth (Liz) Litzler is the Director of the UW Center for Evaluation & Research for STEM Equity (CERSE) and an Affiliate Assistant Professor in UW Sociology. Her research interests include the educational climate for undergraduate and graduate students, intersectionality of identities, and gender stratification in education and the workforce. She is a member of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) and Women in Engineering ProActive Network (WEPAN). Liz also served on the WEPAN Board of Directors for 4 years and is a former chair of the ASEE CDEI. She earned a PhD and MA in Sociology and a BA in Communication with minors in Spanish and Women’s Studies. Liz Litzler CV 2025<\/strong><\/a>
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\nListen to Liz’s name pronunciation<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

\"Photo<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Erin Carll<\/strong>
\nAssociate Director & Senior Research Scientist <\/em>\u00a0|\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0ecarll@uw.edu<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Erin Carll is the Associate Director and a Senior Research Scientist at CERSE. Her evaluation and research focus on efforts to expand equity and inclusion\u00a0in the STEM fields, including through community building and leveraging existing assets. She currently serves on the WEPAN Board of Directors and previously served on the Society for Women Engineers Research Advisory Council. Erin’s work has been published in Studies in Engineering Education<\/em>, The Journal of Mathematical Behavior<\/em>, Social Science Research<\/em>, and other outlets. At the university level, she has taught research practicums as well as seminars on statistics, the sociology of schooling, and the sociology of housing. Erin earned a PhD and MA in sociology as well as a certificate in demographic methods and a concentration in social statistics from UW. She also holds an MA and BA in Russian and Eastern European studies, a BA in political science, and an AA in liberal arts and sciences. Erin Carll CV 2025<\/strong><\/a>
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\nListen to Erin’s name pronunciation<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

\"Erin<\/p>\n

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Emily Knaphus-Soran\u00a0<\/strong>
\n<\/strong>Senior Research Scientist<\/em> |\u00a0\u00a0eknaphus@uw.edu<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Emily Knaphus-Soran is a Senior Research Scientist at CERSE and Affiliate Assistant Professor in UW Sociology. She is also the Principal Researcher at EKS Evaluation Consulting. Her research focuses on the social-psychological and institutional forces that contribute to the persistence of racial and socioeconomic inequalities in the United States, primarily in the areas of higher education and the criminal legal system. Her interest in practical interventions to address these inequalities guided her into the field of evaluation. She has led the evaluation of several projects aimed at broadening participation in STEM, including the Pacific Northwest Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (PNW LSAMP) and the Redshirt in Engineering consortium. Her work has been published in Advances in Engineering Education<\/em> and Race Ethnicity and Education<\/em>. Emily earned a PhD and MA in Sociology from the University of Washington, and a BA in Sociology from Smith College. Emily Knaphus-Soran CV 2024<\/a><\/strong>
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\nListen to Emily’s name pronunciation<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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\"\"Daniel Mackin Freeman<\/strong>
\n<\/strong>Research Scientist<\/em>\u00a0 |\u00a0 \u00a0danielmf@uw.edu<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Daniel Mackin Freeman is a Research Scientist at CERSE. His research focuses on school structure\u00a0and broader institutional contexts that contribute to and perpetuate educational inequalities.\u00a0His dissertation, titled\u00a0Schools Apart: Curricular Stratification Across School Socioeconomic Compositions and Implications for Educational Inequality in the US,\u00a0focused on how course-taking patterns relate to socioeconomic inequalities across and within US high schools. His research has been published in\u00a0Social Science Research<\/em>, Sociology of Race and Ethnicity<\/em>, Socius<\/em>, and Sociological Perspectives<\/em>. His evaluation areas concentrate on structural approaches to improving diversity and equity in postsecondary STEM fields. He has evaluated numerous NSF-funded projects related to increasing equity in STEM education and led several organizational climate studies of national laboratories and university STEM departments. Daniel holds a PhD and MS in Sociology from Portland State University, and a BFA in Fine Arts with a concentration on social practice from the Pacific Northwest College of Art. Daniel Mackin Freeman CV 2025<\/a><\/strong>
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\nListen to Daniel’s name pronunciation<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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\"Rae<\/p>\n

Rae Jing Han<\/strong><\/p>\n

Research Scientist<\/em>\u00a0 | \u00a0rjhan@uw.edu<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Rae Jing Han is a Research Scientist at CERSE. Their research, teaching, and facilitation focus on cultivating culturally sustaining, liberatory, and justice-centered forms of environmental and climate education. They are passionate about the intersections of identity, emotionality, arts and storytelling, and sociopolitical consciousness. Rae earned a Ph.D. in Learning Sciences and Human Development, an M.Ed. in Teaching, Learning, and Curriculum (Culturally Sustaining Education), and a Certificate in Education, Equity, and Society from University of Washington. They also hold a B.S. in Psychology from Yale University. When Rae isn\u2019t working, they love to draw and paint, knit, run, hike, read, spend time with their puppy Tangyuan, cook and bake, and try new restaurants. Rae Jing Han CV 2024<\/a><\/strong>
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\nListen to Rae’s name pronunciation<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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\"\"<\/strong>Emily Warren<\/strong><\/p>\n

Administrator<\/em>\u00a0 |\u00a0 eewarren@uw.edu<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Emily Warren is Administrator for CERSE and the Department of Classics. She is an alumna of the University of Washington with a B.A. in Latin and a Masters in Library and Information Science. In her spare time, Emily enjoys papercrafts, reading fiction, and watching old movies with her foster fail dog, Luna.<\/p>\n

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\nListen to Emily’s name pronunciation<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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Denise Wilson<\/strong><\/p>\n

Faculty Affiliate <\/i>|\u00a0 denisew@uw.edu<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Denise Wilson is a faculty affiliate at CERSE and a professor in UW electrical and computer engineering. Her research interests are split among engineering education, sensors research for biomedical applications, and the engineering workforce.\u00a0 Within engineering education, she is committed to understanding the role of belonging and other affective measures on the educational experience and success of STEM students.\u00a0 She has also conducted research in strategically applying natural language processing and machine learning to assist in educational research and assessment.\u00a0 Her teaching emphasizes the lived experiences of engineering students and working engineers with an emphasis on overcoming the barriers that women and underrepresented minorities face. \u00a0 She earned a PhD and MS in electrical engineering from Georgia Tech, a BS in mechanical engineering from Stanford University, and an M.Ed. from the UW.
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STUDENTS<\/strong><\/h3>\n

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Shawon Riffat Ara<\/strong>
\nGraduate Research Assistant<\/em><\/p>\n

Shawon Riffat Ara is a PhD candidate in Epidemiology at the University of Washington. She brings more than six years of experience in diverse research programs and leadership activities in Bangladesh and the US. She is interested in research involving disability, mental health, child growth, and development in disadvantaged communities. Being born and raised in Bangladesh, a low-resource country, Shawon’s experience and perspectives align closely with CERSE’s mission to enhance the participation of marginalized populations in STEM fields. Along with research, Shawon has a strong passion for teaching. In her free time, she loves to travel and be in nature.\u201d Shawon Riffat Ara CV 2026<\/a><\/strong>
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\nListen to Shawon’s name pronunciation<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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\"\"Michael Beach<\/strong>
\nGraduate Research Assistant<\/em><\/p>\n

Michael Beach is a PhD candidate in human centered design & engineering (HCDE). They research and develop ethical design practices through the intersections of design justice and quantum entanglement theory, employing a speculative approach to challenge colonial and capitalist framings within human-computer interaction (HCI) and science, technology, and society studies (STSS). Michael integrates these theoretical frameworks into practical applications by facilitating collaborative and community-driven participation across community groups, organizations, research groups, and municipalities focused on climate migration, marine energy, and the circular economy. Michael earned an MS and BS in HCDE and a BA in comparative history of ideas, all from UW, as well as an AA in psychology from State College of Florida-Manatee.
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\nListen to Michael’s name pronunciation<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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\"\"Jana Foxe\u00a0<\/b>
\n<\/strong>Graduate Research Assistant<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Jana Foxe is\u00a0a PhD Candidate at the University of Washington\u2019s Department of Political Science. Their research explores the behavior of non-state actors, interest groups, activist movements, political parties, and NGOs, specifically examining themes such as humanitarianism, human rights, norm evolution<\/span>, climate change<\/span>, and responses to areas of political and ideological contestation. At CERSE, Jana has worked on projects including the NSF-funded Eddie Bernice Johnson Aspire Alliance and Cosmic Explorer projects, as well as the NIH BRAINS initiative.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0Jana is also affiliated with a project promoting and researching equity, diversity and inclusion in the geosciences with a team of researchers based at University College Dublin. Jana received their A.B. in Political Science from Brown University in May 2016.
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\nListen to Jana’s name pronunciation<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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RECENT CERSE ALUMNI<\/strong><\/h3>\n

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\"\"Pauline Dott\u00a0<\/strong>
\n<\/strong>Graduate Research Assistant<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

While at CERSE, Pauline Dott was a PhD student in Learning Sciences and Human Development in the College of Education at the University of Washington. Her research interests focused on multilingual and multicultural elementary students and their teachers in relation to language and equity. In addition to recently completing her PhD, Pauline also holds a MEd from the University of Washington and a BS in Applied Learning and Development from the University of Texas at Austin.<\/p>\n

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\"\"Aryaa Rajouria\u00a0<\/strong>
\n<\/strong>Graduate Research Assistant<\/em><\/p>\n

Aryaa Rajouria is a PhD student in the Department of Sociology at the University of Washington. She is interested in migration as a mechanism for social change, how social structures influence access to resources, and questions related to environmental governance (focusing on climate risk and adaptation). She has prior experiences at organizations such as the United Nations Children\u2019s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), the Huairou Commission, Transparency International, and Child Trends. She has a BA from Mount Holyoke College, Massachusetts, where she studied International Relations and Economics.<\/p>\n

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\"RebeccaRebecca Schachtman<\/strong>
\nGraduate Research Assistant<\/em><\/p>\n

While at CERSE, Rebecca was a PhD candidate in social psychology at UW. Her graduate research investigated how the historically narrow conceptualization of womanhood (i.e., women as white, cisgender, traditionally feminine, etc.) leads to the neglect of women sexual harassment victims who deviate from such stereotypical ideals. In particular, she has been interested in the consequences of these stereotypes for bystander intervention and women\u2019s self-perceptions of their harassment. In addition to recently completing her PhD, Rebecca earned an MS in social psychology at UW and a BA in psychology from Lawrence University.<\/p>\n

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\"\"Salley Fang <\/strong>
\n<\/strong>Undergraduate Research Assistant<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

While at CERSE, Salley Fang was a fourth-year undergraduate student at the University of Washington, studying Informatics with a focus in Data Science. As a Student Assistant at CERSE, she sought to enhance her analytical abilities and gain deeper insight into the challenges underrepresented groups face in STEM fields, aiming to help contribute to systemic change. She also served as the Director of Data Science at the Prosecution Project (tPP), a research platform that tracks political violence data in the US. Outside of school, her hobbies included hiking, playing badminton, and exploring Seattle.<\/p>\n

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\"\"Marianne Kellogg <\/strong>
\n<\/strong>Graduate Research Assistant<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Marianne Kellogg is a PhD student in the Learning Sciences and Human Development program within the College of Education. Marianne’s research interests include early childhood social-emotional learning, and parent-child interactions and communications. <\/span>In particular, Marianne<\/span> explores when and how parents address topics like inequality, racism, and sexism with their young children. Before beginning her graduate program, Marianne worked in evaluation and <\/span>implementation<\/span> science<\/span>–<\/span>based research. She holds a B.A. in Psychology and Sociology from Whitman College.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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\"PhotoMaryam Tanveer<\/strong>
\nGraduate Research Assistant<\/em><\/p>\n

While at CERSE, Maryam Tanveer was an MPH student in Epidemiology on the Maternal-Child Health track at the University of Washington. Her research interests focused on understanding various forms of violence, specifically gun violence and sexual violence. Maryam also holds a B.S.P.H. in Public Health and a B.S. in Cell and Molecular Biology with a certificate in Gender-Based Violence from Tulane University.<\/p>\n

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\"\"<\/em><\/strong>Selen G\u00fcler\u00a0<\/strong>
\n<\/strong>Graduate Research Assistant<\/em><\/p>\n

While at CERSE, Selen G\u00fcler was a PhD student in Sociology at the University of Washington. She is interested in the cultural foundations of policy making, the relationship between the state and the economy, and how people use taxes to morally and politically construct the state. In addition to recently completing her PhD, Selen earned an MA in Sociology from the University of Washington. She also holds a BA in Sociology with a minor in Political Science and International Relations from Bogazici University in Turkey.<\/p>\n

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Janie Ng\u00a0 \u00a0\u0387\u00a0 \u00a0Matthew Frank\u00a0 \u00a0\u0387\u00a0 \u00a0Ari Hock\u00a0 \u00a0\u0387\u00a0 \u00a0Theresa Henry\u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong>\u0387\u00a0 \u00a0Marisa Johnson\u00a0 \u00a0\u0387\u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong>Alyssa Bruce\u00a0 \u00a0\u0387\u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong><\/span>Rachel Funk Fordham\u00a0 \u00a0\u0387\u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong>Chassidy Wen\u00a0 \u00a0\u0387\u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong>Brooke Wolfe\u00a0 \u00a0\u0387\u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong>James Watkins\u00a0 \u00a0\u0387\u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong>Naomi Ramirez Alvarado\u00a0 \u00a0\u0387\u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong>Stephanie Breen\u00a0 \u00a0\u0387\u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong><\/i><\/span>Paytan Murray\u00a0 \u00a0\u0387\u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong>Amrine White\u00a0 \u00a0\u0387\u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong><\/span>Deborah Bedoll\u00a0 \u00a0\u0387\u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong><\/span>Cara Margherio\u00a0 \u00a0\u0387\u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong>Andrea Brudvig\u00a0 \u00a0\u0387\u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong><\/span>Amber Burrell\u00a0 \u00a0\u0387\u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong>Aliyah Turner\u00a0 \u00a0\u0387\u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong><\/span>Hanna Moss\u00a0 \u00a0\u0387\u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong>Aasli <\/strong>Abdi Nur\u00a0 \u00a0\u0387\u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong>Naomi Yuen-Schat\u00a0 \u00a0\u0387\u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong>Audrey Omar\u00a0 \u00a0\u0387\u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong><\/span>Adrienne Beebe\u00a0 \u00a0\u0387\u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong><\/span>Mary Padden\u00a0 \u00a0\u0387\u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong>Geri van Engers\u00a0 \u00a0\u0387\u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong>Daiki Hiramori\u00a0 \u00a0\u0387\u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong>Riddhi Divanji\u00a0 \u00a0\u0387\u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong>Arwen Chiu\u00a0 \u00a0\u0387\u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong><\/span>Burren Peil\u00a0 \u00a0\u0387\u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong>Lucas Olson\u00a0 \u00a0\u0387\u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong>Anne Sivley\u00a0 \u00a0\u0387\u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong>Anna Lee Swan\u00a0 \u00a0\u0387\u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong>Emma Scher\u00a0 \u00a0\u0387\u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong>Lamar Foster\u00a0 \u00a0\u0387\u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong>Kerice Doten-Snitker\u00a0 \u00a0\u0387\u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong>Emily Haluschak\u00a0 \u00a0\u0387\u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong>Greg Di<\/strong>g<\/strong>gs-Yang\u00a0 \u00a0\u0387\u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong>Alex Schaefer\u00a0 \u00a0\u0387\u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong>Kaiqi Zha<\/strong>ng\u00a0 \u00a0\u0387\u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong><\/i>Cordelia Ilton\u00a0 \u00a0\u0387\u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong>Karah Lothian\u00a0 \u00a0\u0387\u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong>Tiffany Pa<\/strong>n\u00a0 \u00a0\u0387\u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong>Em Affolter\u00a0 \u00a0\u0387\u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong>Yin Zhang\u00a0 \u00a0\u0387\u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong>Montana James\u00a0 \u00a0\u0387\u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong>Brian Serafini\u00a0 \u00a0\u0387\u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong>Rob <\/strong>Tennyson\u00a0 \u00a0\u0387\u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong>Alexis \/ Lexie Maister\u00a0 \u00a0\u0387\u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong>Jenni Branstad\u00a0 \u00a0\u0387\u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong>Kenno Hayashi\u00a0 \u00a0\u0387\u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong>Lucy Herr\u00a0 \u00a0\u0387\u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong>Johnathan Hsu\u00a0 \u00a0\u0387\u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong>Marijo Manaois<\/strong><\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Elizabeth Litzler\u00a0 Director \u00a0|\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0elitzler@uw.edu Elizabeth (Liz) Litzler is the Director of the UW Center for Evaluation & Research for STEM Equity (CERSE) and an Affiliate Assistant Professor in UW Sociology. Her research interests include the educational climate for undergraduate and graduate students, intersectionality of identities, and gender stratification in education and the workforce. She is…<\/p>\n

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