Cecilia Rios-Aguilar

Cecilia Rios-Aguilar is chair of the Department of Education and professor at the UCLA School of Education and Information Studies, where she also serves as associate dean of equity, diversity, and inclusion. She is a faculty director at Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE), a board member of the Spencer Foundation, and a research affiliate of Wheelhouse: The Center for Community College Leadership and Research at UC Davis. In 2026, Rios-Aguilar was one of 19 distinguished education scholars and leaders elected to the National Academy of Education in recognition of their significant contributions to education research and policy. She is past director of the Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA. Her research focuses on the educational and occupational trajectories of marginalized students, using asset-based conceptual frameworks and statistical approaches such as econometric models, multilevel models, spatial analyses, and social network analysis. She has examined community college students’ decisions about majors, jobs, and careers, as well as the impact of strategic nudges in financial aid navigation. Rios-Aguilar earned her MS in educational administration and a PhD in educational theory and policy from the University of Rochester.

updated 2026