Senran (Laurence) Wang

Senran Wang (pronouns she/her, preferred name Laurence), is a Ph.D. student in the interdisciplinary Education and Social Policy program at the University of Delaware, affiliated with both the College of Education and Human Development and the Joseph R. Biden, Jr. School of Public Policy and Administration.

Her research focuses on using large-scale data and quantitative causal methods to study pathways to higher education, particularly how policies and institutional contexts shape students’ transitions from high school to college and into the labor market.

Before beginning her Ph.D., she earned an M.A. in Education and Social Policy from NYU Steinhardt and a Bachelor of Economics from Renmin University of China. She spent three years working as a researcher & educational consultant in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. Working directly with students, families, and high school teachers/counselors navigating the college-going process helped shape her interest in studying how educational systems and policies influence students’ opportunities and postsecondary pathways.

Education

• M.A., Education and Social Policy, New York University, New York, NY, 2022
• B.Econ., National Economic Management, Renmin University of China, China, 2020

Professional Experience

• Graduate Research Assistant, University of Delaware, 2025 – Present
• Researcher & Educational Consultant, Future Reimagined Initiative, 2022-2025
• Research Assistant, CoronaNet Research Project, 2021-2022

Recent Honors and Awards

• Graduate Poster Second Place, Steele Symposium, University of Delaware, 2026
• Graduate Student Ambassador Grant, New York University, 2021-2022
• Social Work and Volunteer Service Scholarship, Renmin University of China, 2018

Presentations

• Ran, F. X. & Wang, S.L. (2026, September). Connecting College and Career: The Effects of Dual Enrollment on Postsecondary Education Outcomes for CTE Students. Paper presentation at the Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness (SREE) Conference in Baltimore, MD.
• Ran, F. X. & Wang, S.L. (2026, March). Connecting College and Career: Dual Enrollment and Postsecondary Outcomes for CTE-Bound Students. Paper presentation at the Association for Education Finance & Policy (AEFP) Annual Meeting in Chicago, IL.
• Wang, S.L. (2025, April). Comparative Study of School Support for College Applications: First-Generation vs. Non-First-Generation Students. Roundtable at the American Educational Research Association (AERA) Annual Meeting in Denver, CO.