Vanessa Johnson, PhD

Research Scientist, STEM Education Research
University of Utah

Vanessa (she/her/ella) is a research scientist in the Frey STEM Education Research group at the University of Utah. Her professional background is in higher education assessment and evaluation, focusing on building surveys using scale development theory that measures various aspects of campus racial climates. Her scholarly background includes working on several research projects focused on transfer students’ pathways and college climate experiences and has conducted experimental designs to measure the impact of metacognitive homework assignments called “Scientist Spotlight” on students’ science identity, specifically on women, first-generation, and Black and Brown undergraduate students.

Before joining the Frey STEM Education Research Group, Vanessa was a graduate researcher in the David Eccles School of Business and College of Education at the University of Utah. She is a doctoral candidate (expected graduation early Fall 2022) and holds an M.Ed. in Educational Leadership & Policy from the University of Utah. Among other honors, Vanessa received the Deans College of Education Research Fellowship and was chosen to be a UCEA Barbara L. Jackson Scholar (2019). Outside the lab, Vanessa enjoys spending time with her partner, visiting family, traveling, duplicating her mother’s Peruvian recipes, and taking care of her rescue dog Pecas.