Dharma Lewis

Biography

Dharma received her B.S in Biopsychology at UCSB where she served as Lab Manager, Transfer Peer Mentor, and Tutor for the PBS department before joining the PhD program. The different branches of her work are rooted in the goal of harnessing the power of positive psychology principles and cognitive theories of learning. She is a first-generation scholar, born in Mexico City and raised in Los Angeles, who is passionate about empowering learners of all experiences and backgrounds.

Research

My research seeks to develop and refine pedagogical tools to improve STEM learning outcomes by 1) expanding what we know about individual differences in meta-cognitive awareness and how to improve it, 2) disentangling the interaction and synergy between meta-cognitive awareness and mindfulness, and 3) examining existing pedagogical practices and mindfulness interventions.