Associate Professor of Higher Education at the University of Texas at Austin
About
Liliana Garces is an associate professor at the University of Texas at Austin and affiliate faculty at the School of Law. Her research is grounded in the intersection of law and educational policy, with a focus on access, diversity, and equity in higher education. Her scholarship is published in a variety of outlets, including peer-reviewed education journals, law journals, policy reports, and books. Combining her expertise in law and education, she has served as counsel of record for the research community in four amicus curiae briefs filed in the US Supreme Court, including a brief filed in Fisher v. University of Texas by 823 social scientists. In 2014, she received the American Educational Research Association's (AERA) Palmer O. Johnson Memorial Award for an article of outstanding importance to education research published in an AERA journal in the prior year. In 2015, she was recognized with the Association for the Study of Higher Education’s (ASHE) Early Career Award. Previously, she worked as a civil rights lawyer and a judicial law clerk in federal district court.
She holds a doctorate in education from Harvard University, a juris doctor from the University of Southern California School of Law, and a bachelor of arts from Brown University.
Current Work:
Dr. Garces's research examines how legal and educational systems shape opportunity and inequality for historically marginalized communities, such as students of color. Her projects to date have examined affirmative action policies in postsecondary admissions, and the use and influence of research in law. Her most recent projects explore free speech and inclusion policies on college campuses.
Research Area Keyword(s):
Affirmative action, equity, law, diversity, research use, policy