Esmeralda Sánchez Salazar

Background

Dr. Esmeralda Sánchez Salazar’s research examines how educational, familial, religious institutions, and the state intersect to shape racial and ethnic stratification in higher education, science, and the labor market. Using quantitative and qualitative methods, her research focuses on three primary research streams: 1) how institutions intersect to shape racial and ethnic inequalities in immigrant college and labor market outcomes, 2) racial and ethnic stratification in science education, 3) inequities in postsecondary attainment among English Learners. Her research has been supported by entities such as the National Science Foundation, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine Ford Foundation Fellowship, and The Sociology of Science and Religion Funding Initiative, among others. 

Prior to joining William and Mary, Esmeralda held a postdoctoral fellowship at The Pennsylvania State University, and she is currently an external affiliate of the Population Research Institute at Penn State. She earned her Ph.D. in sociology from Rice University, where she worked with the Houston Education Research Consortium, a research-practice partnership between Rice and area school districts. Dr. Esmeralda Sánchez Salazar is committed to conducting research that informs policy and expands access to higher education for underrepresented students.

Education

Ph.D., Rice University
M.S., University of Texas at Dallas
B.A., Southern Methodist University

Curriculum Vitae