Assistant professor receives early career award from research society

Zuchao “William” Shen, an assistant professor in the Department of Educational Psychology, recently received the 2023 Early Career Award from the Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness (SREE).

SREE is dedicated to advancing research relevant to practice and generating knowledge and applications in new contexts across fields, from early childhood through post-secondary education.

The award—which Shen received at the Society’s conference in September—recognizes early career scholars whose work advances rigorous research relevant to educational practice.

“This recognition means a great deal to me, not only as a personal achievement, but also as an acknowledgment of the importance of the areas I have worked on,” said Shen. “This award signifies validation and encouragement to continue developing optimal design strategies for experimental studies.”

Shen’s research addresses pressing challenges in experimental design, including how to ensure the effectiveness and cost-efficiency of experimental studies.

His experimental studies investigate whether treatments work, through which mechanisms they work, and for whom, where, and under what conditions they work. By applying his research in the field, Shen aims to help systematically design more cost-efficient experiments and strategically reduce the collective costs of conducting and advancing educational research while accelerating innovation in education.

“My research on the optimal design of experimental studies can empower researchers—especially those with limited access to the resources needed to conduct experimental research—to design effective experimental studies with limited resources,” said Shen.

Shen also researches statistical power, multilevel modeling, structural equation modeling, latent variable modeling and their application in education, psychology, and health.