All LS PhD Students

Altshuler, Mari
MariAltshuler2023@u.northwestern.edu
Degrees
- PhD in progress, Learning Sciences, Northwestern University
- MAT, Urban Teacher Education Program, University of Chicago
- BS, Geology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Biography
I’ve been teaching for the MSED program since 2019 and working in P-12 learning since 2009. When I’m not teaching an MSED course, I’m writing a dissertation about young children’s relationships with mathematics.


Aslan, Umit
UmitAslan2014@u.northwestern.edu
Degrees
- MSc, Bogazici University, 2014
- BS, Bogazici University, 2010

Barry (McDaid), Nikki
Degrees
- MA in Teaching, Pacific University, 2016
- BS in Sociology, Northeastern University, 2011
Research Interests
Nikki Barry (McDaid) (Shoshone-Bannock) is a doctoral student in Learning Sciences at Northwestern University. Her research interests are broadly focused on informal and formal learning environments at the intersection of land-based education and Indigenous resurgence. More specifically, she wants to understand the ways that youth in land-based learning environments recognize personhood of more-than-human animals and plants and whether or not the propensity to do so might be correlated with the ways youth engage in decision-making around social and environmental concerns. Nikki earned her M.A. in Teaching from Pacific University and her B.S. in Sociology from Northeastern University. She also has experience as a middle school and high school English and Musical Theatre teacher and has two children of her own.
Wade Berger
Degrees
- MS in Curriculum & Instruction, UW Madison
- BS in Secondary Education, Indiana University-Bloomington
Research Interests
Wade works with informal educators -- those people who make after-school clubs, museums and summer camps so cool. He helps informal educators understand what makes learning happen in those out-of-school settings. In his research with community partners, he studies how these informal educators build the wealth of knowledge and expertise they bring to youth, and the ways that informal educators learn from and with each other in professional training. He has an M.S. from UW-Madison from the Games+Learning+Society Center, and started his career as a high school social studies teacher.

Bisht, Gautam
Degrees
- BA in English Literature , Delhi University, 2012
- MA in Film Studies, Ambedkar University, 2015
- M Phil in Development Practice, Ambedkar University, 2018
Research Interests
My area of interest emerges from the educational initiatives I have undertaken as part of my organisation in the domain of language, literacy and culture. These initiatives comprise of two levels: (i) working directly with an indigenous youth collective in India on literacy, digital and teaching skills and (ii) working indirectly with children (6-12 age group) through community learning centers as facilitated by the youth collective mentioned above. With the youth my focus is on understanding the complex overlap of digital media, literacy and (counter) narratives. With the children my focus is on co-designing pedagogic spaces with community youth that are multilingual and culturally responsive. Broadly I am moved by anything that invokes critical pedagogy, integration of theory and practice, community based design, applied linguistics and philosophy of education.

Chang, Amy
Degrees
- MS, Journalism, National Taiwan University 台灣大學, 2009
- BA, Foreign Languages and Literature, National Taiwan University 台灣大學, 2005
Research Interests
My research interests focus on the social and cultural dynamics of learning in the context of globalization and emerging technologies,with a specific focus on language, multimodal literacy, diversity and civic journalism. My current research explores how immigrant youth leverage their funds of knowledge and the affordance of multiple modalities to construct documentaries that inform public debates on social issues through participating in a multimedia journalism curriculum. I am also interested in exploring how people from diverse cultural backgrounds engage in new forms of learning and how social media and mobile technologies can be leveraged to bridge the gap between formal education and everyday experiences.
Research Interests
I'm broadly interested in computer science education, accessibility, civic technology, and social justice. Most of my research interests stem from asking "How can we make Computer Science a safe and joyous experience for Black, Disabled, Latinx, and Indigenous college students?"

Chen, John (Yuehan)
Degrees
- B. A. in Chinese Language and Literature, Beijing Normal University, 2016
Research Interests
My research interest lies in the intersection of Learning Sciences and Human-Computer Interaction, with a focus on informal learning, mobile learning, scaling, and emergent social behavior and learning design from massive learning communities.
Frausto Aceves, Alejandra
alejandrafrausto@u.northwestern.edu
Degrees
- MEd in Educational Leadership with Distinction, DePaul University, 2014
- BS in the Teaching of Chemistry, University of Illinois in Chicago, 2005
Research Interests
With 17 years in education, I have served in various roles, including teaching science and other content areas from 6th grade through adult students in an alternative setting, working as a curriculum coach and associate principal, and leading service learning for the third largest district in the U.S. My research examines transformative collective learning in K12 science education, teacher collectives, and interdisciplinary teams with school leaders. Within these contexts, I hope to continue to contribute to how we understand intergenerational & community-based co-constructions, imaginations, and praxis, as well as learning and pedagogies towards expansive and agentic present-futures.
Research Interests
Mis/Dis-information, adult cognition, acquisition of new knowledge
Research Interests
Agent-based modeling for learning about and understanding complex systems. Creating socio-technical infrastructure for ongoing systemic change in education. Cognition at every level from neurons to societies.
Research Interests
Khushbu designs hands-on learning experiences at an intersection of engineering design, art and mathematics. She is particularly interested in building these experiences for informal public spaces such as museums, playgrounds and libraries. Her goal is to explore playful mediums of learning through mechanical movements, paper zines and puzzles, with the intention to take one away from the computer screen, and to enable accessibility in tinkering while learning.
Research Interests


Logan, Charles
Degrees
- Master of Arts in Educational Technology, Michigan State University, 2018
- Master of Fine Arts, Fiction, Brooklyn College, 2012
- Bachelor of Arts, English and Secondary Teacher Education, Middlebury College, 2006
Research Interests
My research interests include how educators and students develop and practice critical digital pedagogies and literacies; resist, refuse, and revise educational technology imaginaries; and design learning experiences to support educational dignity.

Research Interests
Information design, text and visual processing, and learning in digital news, media, and information environments; information and learning behaviors; cognition in data interactives; design thinking in digital and computational journalism
Marshall, Jessica
Degrees
- BS in Sociology, Modified with Latin American and Caribbean Studies, Dartmouth College
- MSEd in Special Education, City College of New York (CUNY)
Dissertation Title
Teaching Histories of Harm and Repair: Examining Teacher Perceptions and Approaches to District Mandated Curriculum on Police Violence and the Struggle for Justice in Chicago
Research Interests
Civics and Social Studies Education, Learning toward Justice and Transformation, Participatory research methods

Kritphong Mongkhonvanit
Degrees
- MA in Learning, Design and Technology, Stanford University
- BS in Computer Science, University of Wisconsin - Madison
Research Interests

Nguyen, Vien
Degrees
- Masters of Education, Temple University, 2016
- Bachelors of Science in Mathematics, Stanford University, 2014
Research Interests
complex learning; distributed & embodied cognition; learning analytics; multi-modal data; social learning; 21st century skills; interest-driven learning.

Research Interests
I am interested in constructionist learning environments that provide equitable opportunities for STEM learning. In particular, how making practices in multiple cultural settings can be leveraged to design spaces and projects that represent and value diverse backgrounds. Additionally, I view mathematics as a (under-appreciated) culture of making, and am interested in designing and implementing math microworlds that support learners in their construction of math concepts.

Pomian Bogdanov, Katarzyna (Kasia)
Degrees
- M.Ed., Secondary Education Physics, DePaul University, 2019
- M.S., Physics, DePaul University, 2018
- B.A., Spanish Language and Literature, Loyola University Chicago, 2016
- B.S., Physics, Loyola University Chicago, 2016
Research Interests
I am interested in reimagining science education. In particular, I am interested in designing science high school curriculums that create equitable opportunities for all students to pursue science in ways that are authentic to individuals and the discipline. I am currently working with an Open Science Education design team consisting of teachers and designers. I am studying the tensions that arise during this process; particularly, tensions at the intersections of science education, gender, and race.
I am also working on understating the roles of silliness in the classroom, specifically when silliness is used during on-task discourse within the classroom.
In the past I have studied acoustical instruments, and how they can be used in the classroom to stimulate students’ interests and understanding of string theory. I have used Social Network Analysis to better understand interactions within science classrooms. I have also worked at Argonne National Laboratory on a team in pursuit of understanding dark energy through the study of Type 1A Supernovae.

Shrodes, Addie
On The Market
Degrees
- MA, English Literature and Urban Humanities, University of California-Los Angeles, 2015
- BA with Highest Distinction and Highest Honors, English Literature and Sociocultural Anthropology, University of Michigan, 2012
Research Interests

Spikes, Michael
Degrees
- MS; Education Technology Systems Management, Stony Brook University, 2014
- BA; Mass Media, University of the District of Columbia, 2011
- AAS; Recording Arts and Technology, Cuyahoga Community College, 2004
Research Interests
News media literacy education and interventions; misinformation and cognition; enactment of evaluative mindsets when consuming information
Topham, Taylor
taylortopham@u.northwestern.edu
Degrees
- MS in Sociology, Brigham Young University, 2022
- BA in English, Brigham Young University, 2019
Adia Wallace
Degrees
- EdM in Technology, Innovation, and Education from Harvard Graduate School of Education
- BA in Philosophy from Xavier University of Louisiana
Corey Winchester
Degrees
- MA - Learning Sciences (2020), Northwestern University
- MEd - Cultural and Educational Policy Studies (2013), Loyola University Chicago
- BS - Education and Social Policy (2010), Northwestern University
Zhao, Lexie
xinyuezhao2020@u.northwestern.edu
Degrees
- Master's in Integrated Marketing Communications at NU's Medill School of Journalism
Research Interests
I am interested in the intersection of playful learning, learner agency, and equitable participation. My research projects revolve around youth empowerment through learning communities, participatory museum exhibits, human-centered design, design-based research, and social emotional learning.