Dr. Raina Dyer-Barr is Director for Community College Research and Engagement in the School of Education at the University of Pittsburgh. She oversees various aspects of multiple studies/externally funded research projects and supports the research activities and public engagement efforts of the school's Associate Dean of Equity, Justice and Strategic Partnerships.
Dr. Dyer-Barr is former Assistant Director for Consulting and Public Engagement for OCCRL at the University of Illinois. Dyer-Barr’s research interest interests broadly include examining the postsecondary experiences of students from historically and traditionally underrepresented and/or underserved groups and addressing the educational equity gaps that exist in both access and outcomes for members of these populations. She is especially interested in the development of targeted pathways between two-and four-year colleges that offer exposure to undergraduate research experiences and graduate education possibilities. These pathways are designed to not only improve timely two-year transfer rates among underrepresented students but ultimately contribute to increasing the representation of racially minoritized scholars in the academy as well.
Dr. Dyer-Barr has a B.A. in English from the University of California at Los Angeles and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Educational Policy Studies from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.