Doctoral Student Profiles | Teachers College, Columbia University

A Graduate School of Education, Health & Psychology

Meet Our Doctoral Students

Teachers College is proud to showcase the diverse and talented group of doctoral student scholars within our academic community.

Alejandra Campos Quintero

Ph.D. Student, Economics and Education

I am a PhD student in Economics and Education, focusing on the intersection of early childhood development, neuroeconomics, and development economics. My research explores the neurobiological effects of poverty on skill development, how these factors may bias the measurement of educational outcomes, and their impact on the allocation of talent. Before joining Teachers College, I worked at the Center for the Economics of Human Development, where I contributed to evidence-based studies on inequality, development, and investments in lifelong skill-building.

Education Policy & Social Analysis

Chengyuan Yao (He/Him/His)

Ph.D. Student, Measurement and Evaluation

Human Development

Maya Berrol-Young (She/Her/Hers)

Ph.D. Student, Teaching of Social Studies

Maya Berrol-Young is a PhD student in the Teaching of Social Studies program at Teachers College, Columbia University. Her research centers on the intersections of civic education, disability studies, and student agency. Currently, she collaborates on the Civically Engaged Districts Project, providing expertise on enhancing the accessibility of civic action research and learning in K-12 educational settings. In addition, Maya is affiliated with the Center for Educational Equity, where she conducts research on the New York State Seal of Civic Readiness. She is also consults on the Decision-Making Curriculum project in collaboration with Hunter College and the New York State Developmental Disabilities Planning Council. Her professional experience includes serving as a Fulbright Teaching Fellow in Thailand, a Global Writing and Speaking Fellow at NYU Shanghai, and most recently, as a special education teacher in New York Public Schools.

Arts & Humanities

Lisette Boer (She/Her/Hers)

Ph.D. Student, English Education

Lisette Boer is a current PhD student in English Education at Teachers College, Columbia University. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing with concentrations in poetry and fiction, alongside graduate minors in Social Entrepreneurship and Digital Storytelling from The New School.

Her teaching experience includes but is not limited to leading creative writing workshops through Milk Press Virtual Workshops, serving as a teaching assistant at Maplewood Headstart, and facilitating a literacy mentorship program at Mitchell Elementary. Professionally, Lisette has served as a Research Assistant to The New School's Creative Writing Director. She has also worked with various literary organizations in marketing roles such as The Poetry Society of New York, The New School, and The National Book Critics Circle, playing a key role in organizing events like the National Book Critics Circle Ceremony, the PEN World Voices Festival, and The NYC Poetry Festival.

Arts & Humanities

Zhe Zhang

Ph.D. Student, Special Education: Deaf and Hard of Hearing

Zhe Zhang is a Ph.D. candidate in the Special Education: Deaf and Hard of Hearing program at Teachers College, Columbia University. His research focuses on the emotional health, self-advocacy, and cultural influences of special needs populations, particularly children and older adults. As a certified hearing specialist, he has several years of experience supporting Deaf and Hard of Hearing students in the NYC public school system. His research aims to develop effective interventions and support strategies through quantitative analysis and case study approaches. Zhe is committed to contributing to the field of special education and improving the lives of individuals with special needs. Through his research and practice, he seeks to promote inclusive education and support the well-being of diverse populations.

Health Studies & Applied Educational Psychology First-Generation College Student

Tia Monahan

Ph.D. Student, Economics and Education

I am a PhD student in Economics and Education. I specializes in the intersections between higher education, public policy, and labor markets in the U.S., focusing on the many economic and social factors that impact college student decision-making and institutions’ abilities to better serve their students. Through my research, I strive to address factors that limit students’ access to and success in postsecondary education — especially for underserved and underrepresented student groups — in order to improve learning and career opportunities for individuals across the country.

Education Policy & Social Analysis

Daniel Davis

Ph.D. Student, Philosophy and Education

Daniel Romeyn Davis is a Ph.D. student in Philosophy and Education at Teachers College, Columbia University. Raised amidst the hills, lakes, and forests of the Monadnock Region of New Hampshire, Daniel strives to embody the live free or die ethos of his pastoral home. His decade of classroom experience includes each grade level from 5th to 12th as a humanities teacher at Catholic schools within the Archdiocese of Boston (Massachusetts). At Teachers College, Daniel aspires to conduct research on questions of rootedness with their application to curricular and pedagogical reform for the promotion of human flourishing.

Arts & Humanities

Terika Harris

Ph.D. Student, Mathematics Education

Dissertation Advisor: Erica Walker

Mathematics, Science & Technology First-Generation College Student

Adriana Carrieri

Ph.D. Student, Behavioral Nutrition

Adriana is a Ph.D. candidate in the Behavioral Nutrition program. Her current research focuses on exploring how young adults with celiac disease transition from high school to college, and the impact of this transition in their quality of life and gluten-free diet adherence. Adriana received a research award from The Celiac Disease Foundation for her dissertation. During her journey at Teachers College, Adriana served as a research assistant to Dr. Randi Wolf helping in the development of a curriculum for a large NIH grant aiming to test the impact of new gluten detection technologies in intestinal healing among individuals with celiac disease. She also served as a course assistant for two semesters in the Nutrition Epidemiology course, and for one semester in the course Analysis of Current Literature in Nutrition. Among her research interests are strategies for effective dietary behavior changes among individuals with chronic diseases, including the use of technologies.

Health Studies & Applied Educational Psychology First-Generation College Student

Sue Park

Ed.D. Student, Applied Linguistics

As a doctoral student in Applied Linguistics at Teachers College, Columbia University, I am specializing in second language acquisition with a research focus on digital language learning, particularly the affordances of digital games for incidental vocabulary acquisition. My background includes an M.A. in TESOL from Teachers College, where I developed a strong foundation in language pedagogy and research. I have extensive experience teaching English and Korean to diverse learners, equipping me with a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities in language acquisition. Through my research, I aim to contribute to innovative methods that enhance language learning by leveraging digital platforms, ultimately enriching the tools and strategies available to educators and learners in second language acquisition.

Arts & Humanities

Juliya Pattammady

Ph.D. Student, Special Education: Intellectual Disability/Autism

My research interests focus on special education, early childhood development, and family/caregiver experiences particularly for families with a young child with autism. My dissertation project is a multi-methods study focused on examining the effects of a randomized control trial of a group-based psychoeducation intervention for parents of preschool-aged children with autism and developmental delays (Incredible Years for Children with Autism and Language Delays); specifically to understand how parents learn and use taught strategies throughout the intervention. Before pursuing my doctorate, I worked as a first-grade special education teacher and kindergarten teacher, experiences that have significantly shaped my research approach.

Health Studies & Applied Educational Psychology First-Generation College Student

Miriah Ralston (She/Her/Hers)

Ed.D. Student, Applied Linguistics

My research focuses on online interaction using social media. Using a variety of methodologies, such as conversation analysis, discourse analysis, and interactional sociolinguistics, my research is concerned with how people interact online, and the linguistic features they use to achieve communicative and social goals.

Arts & Humanities

Mel Yeung

Ph.D. Student, Sociology and Education

Mel Yeung is a PhD student in Sociology and Education, and a research assistant in the Education Policy & Social Analysis Department. Mel's research interests include investigating the ways in which young people shape their civic and political identities, and the ways in which civic and political discourse is shaped by and filtered through schools, communities and policy/policy discourse. Mel is particularly interested in thinking about the generative potential of using a comparative sociological lens within education research.

Education Policy & Social Analysis

John You (He/Him/His)

Ed.D.C.T. Student, Art and Art Education

Dissertation Advisor: Judith M. Burton

Arts & Humanities

Rebecca Taylor (She/Her/Hers)

Ed.D. Student, Art and Art Education

Rebecca is a strategist, educator, and researcher, with more than two decades of experience in the arts & culture sector, including leadership roles at MoMA PS1 and The Museum of Modern Art, New York (MoMA); The Getty Trust; The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (MOCA); and beyond.

She is currently pursuing doctoral research in Art Education at Teachers College, Columbia University. In addition, Rebecca is a Lecturer in TC’s Arts Administration Master’s Program and in the ‘Contemporary Art Business Program’ at CHRISTIE’S.

Rebecca is a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Arts (RSA).

Arts & Humanities