The Interdisciplinary Research Lab

About the Lab

The Interdisciplinary Lab (IRL) was established by Dr. Ming Lei to create opportunities for students from diverse backgrounds to participate in creative and scholarly endeavors. Situated in the Department of Educational Studies, the IRL focuses on contemporary issues in education with an interdisciplinary perspective. Members of the IRL are trained in the responsible conduct of research, and are mentored to develop both student-initiated and faculty-initiated research projects that use quantitative, qualitative and mixed-methods approaches.

Members of the Lab

Dr. Ming Lei is the Principal Investigator of the Interdisciplinary Research Lab. To learn more about Dr. Lei, visit his faculty biography page

Daeun Kim is the Lab Manager of the Interdisciplinary Research Lab. She completed her high school education at Yettrang Academy and is pursuing her undergraduate study at Knox College as a class of 2026. Though her academic and research interest lies in developmental and educational psychology, she puts a resilient effort into exploring other fields to broaden her academic view and solidify her future plan. She loves taking personality and psychology tests on the internet for fun and introspection.

Ha Phuong Nguyen is the Ethics Officer of the Interdisciplinary Lab. She is currently a first-year student at Knox College. She is from Hanoi, Vietnam, where she was involved in competitive debating both in the national and international scenes. In 2019, Ha Phuong co-founded Ctrl+Z, a project aiming to destigmatize and deconstruct prejudices surrounding the LGBTQ+ community, especially in Vietnam. She will be taking on the roles of a Dare to Care Peer Educator and Intercultural Life Peer Educator next year on campus. Ha Phuong Nguyen is passionate about social justice and is deeply interested in studying this from a culturally-sensitive perspective. In the Interdisciplinary Research Lab, her specialized role will be Ethics Officer. While she is still in the process of exploring her tentative research interests, Ha Phuong is invested in analyzing the importance of queer representation in media and the appropriation of such media by cisgender heterosexual people.

Sara Mirani is the Development Coordinator of the Interdisciplinary Lab. Sara is a sophomore at Knox College from Denver. She is interested in data analytics and statistics, which is why she is majoring in Data Science. She is passionate about her work as a tutor in statistics and expanding her knowledge of computer science. Currently, she is working on a project analyzing the data Dr Semmelweiz collected related to childbed fever to develop Python as a new skill. Outside of school, she enjoys playing Dungeons & Dragons with friends and learning about Chernobyl.