AERI Alumni and Affiliates

AERI Alumni and Affiliates

Dr. Chenmiao Chen

Dr. Chenmiao Chen worked the Assessment and Evaluation Research Initiative (AERI) as a Postdoctoral Researcher in the spring of 2019. She received a Bachelor of Science (B.S>) degree in Psychology and a Master of Science in Cognitive Psychology from National Taiwan University. She received her Ph.D. degree in Measurement, Evaluation and Statistics from the Department of Human Development at Teachers College, Columbia University in 2013. At AERI, she is presently serving as the data analyst and measurement-evaluation consultant in a variety of projects underway in collaboration with the Columbia University Medical Center's Department of Anesthesiology. In the past, she was also a member of the research team for the Proximal Assessment for Learner Diagnostic (PALD) project led by Professor Chatterji, where she conducted factor analytic and validation studies on a teacher survey (2005-2006). Her research interests include international large-scale assessments, program evaluation research, cognitive diagnostic models, and positive psychology.

Dalveer Kaur

Dalveer worked at AERI from May 2018 to Spring 2019 as a Research Assistant. She is an EdM student in the School Psychology program at Teachers College. A former graduate of the National University of Singapore, Dalveer started a career in teaching. She has over eight years of experience working in a range of educational settings from inner-city schools to correctional facilities. Having discovered a keen interest in reading assessment and interventions, Dalveer went on to work in dyslexia research at the Singapore Ministry of Education, which subsequently led her to school psychology. A product of the Singapore education system, Dalveer also has a vested interest in the validity of standardized tests and their consequent applications.

Nicholas Anderson 

Nicholas Anderson (Nick) joined AERI in 2018 as a Senior Research Assistant.  He is working on his Ph.D. in Measurement and Evaluation at TC. He holds a Master of Arts in Political Science from New York University and Bachelor of Arts in economics, political science, international relations and Spanish from Boston University. His current coursework at TC has focused on statistics, research design, and measurement theory. Nick also works in the Office of Institutional Studies at TC, where he has helped with psychometric analyses of the various survey instruments. His research interests include evaluation design, psychometrics, and multi-level statistical modeling. Originally from a policy background, Nick has worked previously for both the US State Department and the United Nations. 

Meiko Lin

Meiko Lin received her EdD from Teachers College, Columbia University in 2018. She currently serves as a program director at the Yale School of Medicine. As a doctoral Senior Research Assistant at the Assessment and Evaluation Research Initiative (AERI), she conducted validation studies of student self-efficacy measures in mathematics as a part of the Proximal Assessment for Learner Diagnosis (PALD) project and assisted in the evaluation of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) environmental health curriculum. Her research interests include international large-scale assessments and evaluation design, methods and theory. Meiko received her Bachelor's degree in Information Systems from McGill and her M.A. in Research Methods from UCLA.

Emily Valente

Emily Valente was a Junior Research Assistant at AERI 2017-2018. She has an MA degree in clinical psychology from Teachers College, Columbia University. She was a member of the research team on a qualitative study of stakeholder perspectives on high stakes testing for accountability. She also served as an editorial assistant for Quality Assurance in Education.  

Eli Plaut

Eli Plaut joined AERI in 2016 as the Junior Research Assistant at AERI, while enrolled in the Master's program in Social-Organizational Psychology at Teachers College, Columbia University. He conducted qualitative data analysis as part of a research project examining validity and test use issues. His research interests include psychometrics and assessment as it relates to hiring in the workplace. Eli received his Bachelor's degree in Psychology from the University of Maryland, College Park.

Kristy An

Kristy An currently works as a data analyst at the Bank School of Education. She served as a Junior Research Assistant at AERI and an editorial assistant at Quality Assurance in Education (QAE) from 2016 to 2017. She graduated from Teachers College, Columbia University in 2017 with a Master's degree in Education Policy and Social Analysis at Teachers College, Columbia University. She received her Bachelor's degree from Georgetown University in Psychology and Government in 2013.

Danielle Pfaff

Danielle Pfaff began working with Dr. Chatterji in the Fall of 2013 as a teaching assistant and soon joined the AERI team to assist in organizing and delivering the 2nd Annual AERI conference, "Testing: Then and Now," the final event in the 125th year celebrations at Teachers College. She previously earned her B.A. in Clinical Psychology from Tufts University, completing a senior honors thesis on the emotional modulation of memory. After graduating, she worked at McLean Hospital researching the genetic underpinnings of psychotic illness. Currently, Danielle is a 2nd year doctoral student in the Social-Organizational Psychology Program, interested in Dynamic Network Theory (how social networks inform goal pursuit), group dynamics and processes, and leadership.

Chia-Ling Lee

Chia-Ling worked with AERI from 2012-2015, and is currently an artist, art researcher and educator. She received her M.F.A. from Pratt Institute and doctorate in Art and Art Education from Columbia University in New York. She was selected to participate in 2013 the Arctic Circle residency program (thearcticcircle.org), which brings together international artists of all disciplines, scientists, architects, and educators to work in the High Arctic, just 10 degrees from the North Pole. As a writer and art researcher, Chia-Ling Lee's research interest focuses on digital culture and the creative process of digital art, in particular web-based art. Her dissertation abstract (https://collections.pomona.edu/labs/record/?pdb=3746) was international peer-reviewed and included in Leonardo Abstracts Service. She has interviewed distinguished artists and curators in the field including Lynn Hershman Leeson, Martine Neddam, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, Jonathan Crary, Bill Viola, and many others. Chia-Ling Lee is working on her new video and writing projects of digital culture in North Pacific Region.

Annie Liang

Annie Liang joined the AERI team in 2012 and provides support for methodological courses and a range of research and administrative needs at the center. Ms. Liang earned her B.A. in Psychology, with a concentration in International Studies from Williams College and is currently completing her M.Ed. in Counseling Psychology at Teachers College, Columbia University. Ms. Liang's research interests include assessing diverse cultural expressions of stigma and the development of anti-stigma interventions in underserved community settings. She is further interested in promoting the constructive use of assessment and evaluation tools for enhancing the efficacy and efficiency of complex educational and social interventions across disciplines.

Nancy Koh

Nancy has been affiliated with the earliest AERI projects. She is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Educational Leadership in the Department of Organization and Leadership at Teachers College, Columbia University (TC), and just defended her dissertation proposal in 2011. She served as an assessment coach and field researcher for the Proximal Assessment for Learner Diagnosis (PALD) project at AERI. As an AERI Research Fellow in 2008-09, she also assisted with assessment design and teacher training for the Global Educational Leadership Foundation (tGELF) programme in India and is continuing to support training in assessment and evaluation methods through courses delivered at Teachers College and her work with AERI clients. Ms. Koh's research interests include education policy reforms and assessment and evaluation design, methods and theory. She earned her B.Sc. in Biology from UCLA and her M.Ed. in Education Leadership at Teachers College, Columbia University.

Sara Johnson

Sara was affiliated with the AERI team from 2011-12, and is currently involved with the design and content-validation of the HITECH curriculum development project, a collaboration among AERI, the Department of Health and Behavior Studies at Teachers College (TC), Columbia University and the Department of Biomedical Informatics (DBMI) at Columbia University's Medical Center. She is also a member of the coordinating team for the inaugural AERI/TC-ETS Conference to be held at TC in March, 2012. Ms. Johnson is currently an M.S. student in Applied Statistics in the Department of Human Development at TC. She earned her B.S. in Childhood and Special Education at SUNY College at Geneseo, NY. Her research interests include educational curriculum and test development, evaluation, educational policy reforms, and health curriculum and test development and evaluation.

Radhika Iyengar

Radhika Iyengar, Ph.D., was affiliated with AERI since its earliest days, first as a member of the research and evaluation team for the Chemung County School Readiness project and subsequently as a member of the AERI evaluation team for the Global Educational Leadership Foundation (tGELF) programme in India.  She was a Research Fellow with AERI from 2008-09. She received a distinction on her dissertation from the Economics and Education Program at Teachers College, Columbia University in May, 2011.  Presently, she is the Director of Education, Nigeria Scale-up Initiative at the Earth Institute, Columbia University. Her research interests include evaluation of educational programs. 

Jennifer Mata

Jennifer Mata, Ed.D., served as a member of the AERI evaluation team for the Chemung County School Readiness  project and Global Educational Leadership Foundation (tGELF) programme in India between 2008-10.  She received her doctorate in Early Childhood Education at Teachers College, Columbia University, and presently holds the position of Assistant Professor in Early Childhood, DePaul University.  Her research interests include childhood development, spiritual development, early childhood teacher education, and bilingual education. 

Beatrice Bridglall

Beatrice Bridglall, Ed.D., served as a member of the AERI evaluation team for the Global Educational Leadership Foundation (tGELF) programme in India between 2008-10.  She graduated with her Ed.D. degree in Health Education from Teachers College, Columbia University in 2004-05 and is presently Visiting Scholar, University of Kiel, Germany and Research Fellow, Institute for Urban & Minority Education, Teachers College, Columbia University. She was most recently Dean of Humanities at Bergen Community College in New Jersey. Dr. Bridglall is a Fulbright Specialist in higher education; most recently as a Fulbright grantee in Greece in 2015. Her research draws on multiple disciplines (including educational, social, and developmental psychology, neuroscience, anthropology, and sociology) to understand the phenomenon of student academic development/socialization, curriculum, assessment and instruction, educational/organizational systems and conditions that impact successful learning (including parental involvement), learning and cognition, faculty expertise, and student motivation and cognition. 

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