Name: Sara-Lee Ramsawak
Email: slr444@nyu.edu
Program: International Education
Research Interests: Inequality in education, diversity and inclusion, diversity in STEM, STEM higher education
Principal Advisor: Hua-Yu Sebastian Cherng
Committee Members: Jelena Kovačević, Dominic Brewer, Jennifer Hill
Research Description/Bio: Sara is a part-time doctoral student in the International Education program within the ASH Department at NYU Steinhardt. While broadly interested in inequality in education and diversity and inclusion, her research specifically focuses on diversity in STEM at the higher education level, exploring how demographics and academics influence student performance and satisfaction. Additionally, she examines faculty demographics and their impact on student satisfaction in STEM, comparing these effects between STEM and non-STEM disciplines.
Sara’s research interests stem from her career, where she currently serves as the Assistant Dean of Undergraduate Academics & Global Engagement at NYU’s Tandon School of Engineering. In this role, she oversees various academic policies, processes, opportunities, and initiatives. Having worked at the engineering school for over a decade, Sara has observed a persistent lack of diversity within the community despite numerous administrative efforts to recruit and retain diverse students in STEM fields. This observation inspired her to pursue research in this area.
Passionate about education, Sara is committed to providing all learners with the tools and resources necessary for university success and preparing them for entry, success, and retention in the labor force. She advocates for educational equity and accessibility and plans to continue these efforts in her future endeavors.
Sara holds a bachelor’s degree in International Studies with a minor in Africana Studies from Johns Hopkins University. She also earned two master’s degrees from NYU: one in Media, Culture, and Communication with a focus on Global and Transcultural Communication, and the other in International Education, focusing on Global Education. Sara also performs education consulting and teaches as an adjunct professor.
Check out Sara’s Linkedin.
Selected Awards:
Global Research Initiative (GRI) Fellowship, New York University (NYU) Tulsa. Fall 2025.
Professional development for Emerging Education Researchers (PEER) Institute – Rochester. National Science Foundation (NSF). Summer 2025.
Global Research Initiative (GRI) Fellowship, New York University (NYU) Washington DC. Spring 2025.
Global Research Initiative (GRI) Fellowship, New York University (NYU) Prague. Summer 2024.
Professional development for Emerging Education Researchers (PEER) Institute – Chicago. National Science Foundation (NSF). Fall 2023.
College Student Scholarship, Jovia Financial Credit Union, Summer 2021.