Matilde Sanchez-Pena

Matilde Sanchez-Pena can speak to the media about engineering education and issues relating to equity, diversity and inclusion in the engineering field and in higher education.

Through her research, Sanchez-Pena seeks to promote a more equitable engineering field, in which students of all backgrounds can acquire the knowledge and skills to achieve their goals. She is also interested in issues impacting faculty members and professionals in engineering.

Her work in the Diversity Assessment Research in Engineering to Catalyze the Advancement of Respect and Equity (DAREtoCARE) Lab focuses on three interrelated areas.

First, she explores the dominant cultures and narratives existing in academic spaces, particularly in STEM, with respect to health and well-being, including issues of mental health. Her goals include informing cultural changes that make space for a more holistic view of engineering as a field. Second, she uses organizational theories and quantitative engineering tools to assess gains in diversity, equity and inclusion at universities, highlighting areas of opportunity for institutions to address injustices to marginalized groups. Third, she studies how to teach data science concepts effectively, and how to use them as a tool to enhance the training of socially responsible engineers.

Sanchez-Pena can respond to interview requests in English and Spanish.

Matilde Sanchez-Pena, PhD
Assistant Professor of Engineering Education
University at Buffalo School of Engineering and Applied Sciences

• 716-645-5861
• matildes@buffalo.edu
• Matilde Sanchez-Pena’s website