CERPS Faculty Profiles

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Abbas Abbasov

Postdoctoral Researcher

Bio

Dr. Abbas Abbasov has recently joined the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) as a postdoctoral researcher affiliated with the Center for Education Research and Policy Studies (CERPS) at the College of Education. He is part of the project, Research Academic-Work Integration in STEM Education, funded by the Board of Regents of the University of Texas System.

Awards and Honors

2023 Doctoral Dissertation Grant, Teachers College, Columbia University
2023 Shirley Chisholm Trailblazer Award (nominee), Provost’s Student Excellence Award, Teachers College, Columbia University
2022 Education Policy Dissertation Fellowship, Department of Education Policy and Social Analysis, Teachers College, Columbia University
2022 Exemplary Impact Award, Provost’s Student Excellence Award, Teachers College, Columbia University
2022 Third place, OHDCC Human Capital Case Competition, Teachers College, Columbia University
2019 International Scholarship, Department of International and Transcultural Studies, Teachers College, Columbia University
2019 Travel Grant, Comparative and International Education Society
2018 Provost’s Grant for Conference Presentation & Professional Development, Teachers College, Columbia University
2016 Study Abroad Scholarship, Ministry of Education, Republic of Azerbaijan
2014 Student Choice Award, School of Education, ADA University
2011 Gold Award, Manchester Leadership Program, University of Manchester
2010 Vice-Chancellor’s Travel Grant, Australian National University

Education

Teachers College, Columbia University

2024 PhD Comparative & International Education

2018 MA Higher and Postsecondary Education

Australian National University

2011 BA International Relations

Publications

Abbasov, A. (2024). Higher education regionalism in the former Soviet Union: A qualitative exploration of Russian university branch campuses. Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education, 54(1), 36–54. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1080/03057925.2022.2078953

Abbasov, A. (2019). Emergence of Russian branch campuses in the post-Soviet space as a regional integration strategy. Higher Education in Russia and Beyond, 13-14.

Abbasov, A., & Drezner, N. D. (2018). Exploring educational philanthropy in Azerbaijan: Charitable giving behaviors among the university alumni. Journal of Comparative & International Higher Education, 10(Spring), 2–12. Retrieved from https://www.ojed.org/index.php/jcihe/article/view/902

Abbasov, A. (2012). State-building in the fifth dimension: Current trends in digital diplomacy. Emerging Scholars, 95-108.

Alice Lee, PH.D.

Postdoctoral Researcher

Bio

Alice Eunjung Lee (Ph.D. University of Arizona) is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Center for Education Research and Policy Studies (CERPS) and a research affiliate with the Center for Research in Engineering and Technology Education (CREaTE) at the University of Texas at El Paso. Her scholarship examines how institutional policies, organizational structures, and pedagogical practices influence student learning, persistence, identity development, and career pathways in STEM. Her research is grounded in an asset-based perspective that centers students’ strengths and institutional capacity for transformation. Her dissertation, “More Than Pedagogy: How Culturally Responsive STEM Courses Shape Minoritized Students’ Learning Experiences and Persistence in STEM”, demonstrates how instructional practices influence students’ engagement, belonging, and persistence in STEM fields. Extending this work beyond classroom contexts, Dr. Lee investigates how broader institutional and organizational structures, including internships, student organizations, and on and off-campus employment, contribute to engineering students’ professional development, employability, and workforce transition.

Awards and Honors

Dissertation of the Year Award, American Education Research Association (AERA) Division J - Postsecondary Education (2026)
Dissertation Fellowship Award, Marshall Foundation (2025)

Education

Ph D in Education Policy Studies & Practice, The University of Arizona (2025)

M ED in Education Leadership & Policy Analysis, University of Missouri-Columbia (2019)

Publications

Bridging Research and Practice: Connecting Research Findings to What Practitioners in the Field are Doing. Building Institutional Systems of Support for Parents and Families of College Students. Routledge. (2026). Harper, C., Kiyama, J.M., & Lee, A.E

Spanish-Language Programming as Essential for Serving Parents and Families at a Hispanic-Serving Institution. Building Institutional Systems of Support for Parents and Families of College Students. Routledge. (2026). Tellez, A., Kiyama, J.M, & Lee, A.E.

An Emerging Agenda for Engaging Parents and Families in Higher Education: Considerations in Praxis. Building Institutional Systems of Support for Parents and Families of College Students. Routledge. (2026). Kiyama, J.M., Harper, C., & Lee, A.E

On the demonic ground of South African higher education, Black women and queer activists’ experiences emerge. Gender, Place, and Culture. (2025). Daché, A., Lee, A.E., Hernandez, S., & Pickenpack, A.

Embedded Classed and Raced Academic Capitalism in an Innovative “Solution” to College Costs: Income Share Agreements at Two Public AAU Research Universities. The Review of Higher Education 48(1), 61-95. (2024). Lee, A.E., Salazar, K., & Rhodes, G.

Finding Balance: Staff members’ beliefs about parental contributions to college students’ independence. Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice. 61(4). (2023). Harper, C., Kiyama, J.M., & Lee, A.E.

Communication patterns between institutions and the families of first-generation college students: A multiple case study. Journal of First-Generation Student Success. (2022). Harper, C., Kiyama, J.M., & Lee, A.E.

Teacher qualification matters: The association between cumulative teacher qualification and students’ educational attainment. International Journal of Educational Development, 77, 102218. (2020). Lee, S.W., & Lee, A.E

Binh Chi Bui, PH.D.

Assistant Professor of Research, Center for Education Research & Policy Studies (CERPS)

Bio

Dr. Bui is an Assistant Professor of Research at the University of Texas at El Paso. He holds a Ph.D. in Higher Education Leadership and Policy Studies from the University of Houston (2023), an M.A. in Educational Studies from KU Leuven (2008), and a B.A. in Teacher Education from Can Tho University (2003). Dr. Bui conducts quantitative and mixed-methods research. His interests include academic outcomes, employment outcomes, and career outcomes with particular attention to STEM fields. Dr. Bui has delivered invited talks on research methods and student outcomes at many universities, such as Missouri State University and the National University of Singapore. He is an active member of the American Educational Research Association (AERA), the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE), and the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE).

Education

Public Policy Data Analytics, University of Houston (2023)
Public Policy Data Analytics, University of Houston (2023)
Ph D in Higher Education Leadership and Policy Studies, University of Houston (2023)
Ph D in Higher Education Leadership and Policy Studies, University of Houston (2023)
M.Ed in Educational Studies, KU Leuven (2008)
M.Ed in Educational Studies, KU Leuven (2008)
BS in Language Teacher Education, Can Tho University (2003)
BS in Language Teacher Education, Can Tho University (2003)

Connect With Us

The University of Texas at El Paso
College of Education
Education Building, Room 414
500 W University
El Paso, Texas 79902

E: education@utep.edu
P: (915) 747-5572
F: (915) 747-5755