Luis R. Delgado

Postdoctoral Scholar

My journey to the Leonhard Center:

Engineering programs historically suffer from a "sink-or-swim" culture that can inadvertently alienate students, particularly women and underrepresented groups. To counter this, I sought opportunities to expand my knowledge and capabilities in the field of engineering education. I worked at the Leonhard Center as a graduate student assistant from fall 2022 to summer 2024. During this period, I helped design and conduct assessments on undergraduate course instruction, student identity, and summer undergraduate research experiences. I also assisted with several active learning faculty development sessions and panels focused on students' sense of belonging and mental health, and evaluated faculty development bootcamps/workshops centered on racial, ethnic, and gender equity in engineering. Following my time with the Leonhard Center, I continued my doctoral research in Penn State’s Engineering Cognitive Research Lab (ECRL) led by Professor Dr. Catherine Berdanier. In summer 2026, I completed my doctorate in mechanical engineering, where my dissertation research explored how engineering faculty navigate, resist, and transform educational and graduate research culture.

Seeing that my strong analytical and interpersonal skills and deep knowledge of engineering education and higher education settings allow me to think systemically about the challenges faculty face and the institutional conditions that support their growth, I rejoined the Leonhard Center as a postdoctoral scholar in fall 2026. In this role, I bring not only my educational background but also my commitment to equity and justice, my collaborative spirit, and my institutional awareness needed to build meaningful, lasting change in how engineering educators are developed and celebrated.

Interests include:

• Student mentoring
• Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging
• Graduate education
• Organizational Change
• Science/Education Policy
• Football (soccer)

Proud moments:

• Penn State College of Engineering: Harry G. Miller Fellowship, Spring 2026
• Penn State Graduate School: 2024-25 Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School Student Persistence Scholarship, Summer 2025
• Penn State Center for Engineering Outreach & Inclusion (CEOI): Outstanding Graduate Student Leader Award, Spring 2025
• Penn State Graduate Student Community Space (GSCS): Co-founder and Inaugural Manager, Aug. 2024-May 2025
• Penn State’s Department of Mechanical Engineering: Belonging Excellence and Transformational Research Leadership Award, Spring 2024
• National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, Medicine: The Christine Mirzayan Science & Technology Policy Fellowship, Spring 2024
• Alfred P. Sloan Foundation: Minority Ph.D. (MPHD) Program Scholarship, Summer 2023
• Penn State Civil and Environmental Engineering Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (CEE DEI) Committee: Co-founder and Graduate Representative, Aug. 2022-Dec. 2023
• Penn State Multicultural Engineering Graduate Association (MEGA): Committee Member and Workshop Coordinator, Jan. 2021-May 2025
• Penn State College of Engineering: Bunton-Waller Fellowship, Fall 2022
• Penn State College of Engineering: Paul H. Schweitzer Memorial Graduate Fellowship, Fall 2022
• Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF): Graduate Scholarship, Fall 2020
• Penn State Graduate School: Robert W. Graham Graduate Fellowship, Fall 2020

Contact:

To learn more about faculty development, graduate education, student mentoring, organizational change, science/education policy or being a postdoctoral scholar at the Leonhard Center