Education
Ph.D. University of Chicago
M.A. University of Chicago
B.A. Wesleyan University
Dr. Lara Perez-Felkner is an Associate Professor of Higher Education and Sociology in the Higher Education Program within the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences at Florida State University. She is also an Affiliated Faculty member in the Department of Sociology, and Senior Research Associate with FSU’s Center for Postsecondary Success. She is actively engaged in and has held various leadership and service roles in AERA, ASHE, and other professional societies.
Her research uses developmental and sociological perspectives to investigate the mechanisms that shape racial-ethnic, gender, and socioeconomic disparities in post-secondary educational attainment and entry to scientific career fields. Dr. Perez-Felkner co-edited and authored a New Directions in Institutional Research volume on undergraduate women in STEM and a special issue in International Journal for Gender, Science, and Technology. She is currently leading an edited book to be published July 2024 on Latin* Engineering Students. She serves on the editorial boards of Educational Researcher, the Journal of Higher Education, Research in Higher Education, the Journal of Postsecondary Success, and Sociology of Education.
Published work appears in journals including: About Campus, Developmental Psychology, Journal of Higher Education, Research in Higher Education, Teachers’ College Record, as well in several edited volumes. She has been supported by external funders including the National Science Foundation, the Gates Foundation, the Sloan Foundation, and the Spencer Foundation. Her research has been covered in news outlets including ABC News and National Public Radio affiliates, Bustle, the Conversation, Diverse Issues in Higher Education, and Science News for Students.
At FSU, she has been active in institutional service and leadership, including most recently leading the NSF ADVANCE team: FSU INCREASE (2023-2026). Prior, she was co-chair of Latinx Faculty and Staff Collective at Florida State, a member of the APLU IChange ASPIRE alliance team, and a member of the President’s Council for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. She is now a Mid-Career Fellow with FSU-FAMU’s Institutional Challenge Grant (2022-25). Equity work in practice aligns with her research expertise as a Student Experience Research Network (SERN) Mid-Career Fellow and Institute in Critical Quantitative, Computational, & Mixed Methodologies (ICQCM) NSF Quantitative Critical Methodologies Scholar.
Dr. Perez-Felkner has taught graduate courses in Student Development Theory, Sociology of Education, Sociology of Higher Education, Higher Education Outcomes Assessment, and Applied Education Policy Analysis. Impressed by the enthusiasm and caliber of FSU students, she has and continues to mentor and support students in collaborative research on higher education pathways to degrees and careers. She values the integration of teaching, mentoring, and research. Since joining the faculty, she has been a 2015, 2021, and 2022 finalist for the FSU College of Education’s Robert M. Gagne Research Award, and has received FSU’s Transformation through Teaching Award (2014), Hardee Center’s Supervisor/Mentor Award (2016), FSU Graduate Faculty Mentor Award (2019), FSU College of Education’s Graduate Teaching Award (2021), and FSU’s Inclusive Graduate Teaching and Advising Award (2022).
Dr. Perez-Felkner has professional experience in Student Affairs as well. At the University of Chicago, she served as a Resident Head in the College and on an NSF AGEP-supported Social Sciences Division Taskforce on Diversity for the Professoriate. Prior to graduate school, she was a post-placement counselor for grade 7-10 students with Prep for Prep, helping underrepresented students transition to magnet schools and private day and boarding college preparatory schools. While earning her B.A. at Wesleyan University, she also worked in residence life, admissions, and student leadership.
Email: lperezfelkner at fsu dot edu
Lara Perez-Felkner, Ph.D. 