Luis A. Leyva, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Mathematics Education & STEM Higher Education, Dept. of Teaching & Learning (Vanderbilt University)
Lab Director & Associate Professor
Leyva’s research examines how interlocking systems of power, including racism and cisheteropatriarchy, shape historically marginalized student populations’ experiences of instruction, curricula, and support in undergraduate mathematics and STEM broadly. Using critical race methodologies and intersectional analytical lenses, Leyva centers student narratives of oppression and agency as knowledge sources for the equitable transformation of STEM higher education.
His research has been supported by the Gates Foundation, National Academy of Education/Spencer Foundation, and National Science Foundation. Leyva has published his research in leading journals, including the American Educational Research Journal, The Journal of Higher Education, and Journal for Research in Mathematics Education. Recent distinctions for his scholarship include 2026 Early Career Award (AERA Division G – Social Context of Education), 2024 Emerging Scholar Honoree (Diverse: Issues in Higher Education), and 2023 Global STEM Service Award (Out in STEM).
Leyva presently serves as Associate Editor for AERA Open and the International Journal of LGBTQ+ Youth Studies as well as five appointments as an editorial board member. He was recently elected as Co-Chair for the special interest group on Research in Mathematics Education in the American Educational Research Association. At Vanderbilt, Leyva teaches undergraduate and graduate courses about educational equity in and out of STEM contexts, interviewing methods in qualitative research, and methods for elementary mathematics teachers.