Meet Our Research Team

Dr. Moffitt's headshot, she is wearing turquoise earrings, circle glasses, and is posing confidently

Dr. Ursula Moffitt is an Assistant Professor in the Educational Psychology program at UNM and the Director of the RISE Lab. She has training in developmental, cultural, and educational psychology, as well as interdisciplinary social sciences.  Born and raised in Albuquerque, Ursula spent 20 years in what were often very gloomy northern cities (including Portland, Ankara, Berlin, Chicago, and Providence) before returning home to the sunshine and big skies of New Mexico. In her research, Ursula takes a social justice approach to the study of identity construction and content, examining the reciprocal relations between individuals and their environments from adolescence to adulthood, drawing primarily on critical, qualitative methods to do so.  She focuses largely on the development of racial, national, and gender identity, as well as critical consciousness, investigating how individuals from across groups resist or reinforce norms and structures of power, privilege, and oppression. Having received both her MA and PhD in Germany, Ursula continues to work with colleagues and participants in both the U.S. and Europe.  

Andrea's headshot, she is smiling, has a black top, and a cow bolo tie on a white background

Andrea Bancroft, M.A. is a graduate research assistant in the RISE lab and a doctoral student in the Educational Psychology program at UNM. Andrea’s prior research and professional experiences in clinical psychology and public education led her to pursuing graduate studies at the intersection of these domains, in educational psychology. Applying critical, qualitative, and mixed methods approaches, her research interests involve examining how structures of power differentially shape individual’s lived experiences and identity development, and how societal inequities manifest in educational settings and shape students’ academic experiences. Through research and advocacy, Andrea hopes to promote social equity both inside and outside of the classroom.

Lindsey Headshot Photo, She is wearing a brown cardigan and smiling into the camera. There is a warm backdrop of a lake behind her.

Lindsey Jurgensen is a graduate student in the Educational Psychology program, where she is pursuing a combined master's and PhD. She earned her bachelor's degree in Elementary Education from the University of West Florida in 2015 and went on to teach public elementary school for six years. In the classroom, she saw both the power of learning and the inequities her students faced inside and outside of school which compelled her to return to school. Her research interests center on identity development across the lifespan, particularly in relation to gender and racial identities. Since becoming a mother in 2021, she has also become interested in maternal identity development and the experiences of parenting students. Her time in the RISE lab is building her research experience and her understanding of critical qualitative methods which she plans to use in her career as a professor, where she plans to continue in research and teaching. 

Cristina Headshot, she is smiling into the camera and wearing a multicolored top. She is indoors with light bulbs in the background and frames on the wall.

Cristina Medrano is a combined Master’s/PhD Educational Psychology student, instructor for EDPY undergraduate courses, and a graduate research assistant at the RISE Lab. Ignited by her lived experience as a first-generation Mexican-American student, Cristina seeks out the educational equity and justice of marginalized populations with a specific focus on Latino communities. This passion has driven her to work across diverse educational settings, supporting marginalized learners from infancy throughout college-age years and prompted a complete immersion into culturally sustaining educational research. Cristina earned her Bachelor’s in Psychology at the University of Houston, where she gained extensive research experience as a senior research assistant at the Texas Institute for Measurement, Evaluation, and Statistics. Cristina continues to advance educational research with and for Latino communities, drawing primarily on open-science asset-based frameworks and the critical examination of distances between culturally diverse learner needs and the educational systems that serve them.  

RISE Lab Alumna 

Bailey's headshot, they are smiling next to a statue of a lobo, with a white necklace and earrings, and a black ruffly top.

Bailey Rutherford is an undergraduate scholar in the Teacher Education, Educational Leadership & Policy department seeking a degree in Secondary Education with concentrations in ELA and music. They hope to transform the lives of high school students through critically examining curriculum, centering  students' lived experiences, and fostering a future classroom that values community and life-long learning. Growing up in a small southeastern New Mexico town, Bailey witnessed the importance of creating equitable and inclusive learning environments for all student to succeed. By centering belonging and culturally-rooted pedagogies, Bailey's research dynamically explores the tensions between state and federal educational policy and practical applications of identity-informed teaching. As the undergraduate research assistant of the RISE Lab, they developed qualitative approaches to research that shaped their future graduate pursuits. These goals include receiving a PhD in Educational Policy & Planning and creating change in public education as New Mexico's Secretary of Education.