Madison Avila is a fourth-year Ph.D. student at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She specializes in understanding how cultural beliefs about gender influence education and career choices—shaping individuals’ career outcomes and contributing to broad, pervasive patterns of occupational segregation by race, ethnicity, and gender in the United States.

Her current research investigates the mechanisms driving higher rates of attrition among women employed in STEM fields. She also collaborates on projects examining the content of gender stereotypes in the United States, educational aspirations of immigrants in the U.S. and U.K., and Gender bias in self-assessments

Beyond research, Madison holds leadership roles with multiple UCSB centers, where she:

 -Builds collaborative academic communities

 -Coordinates events and workshops

 -Manages digital communications, including maintaining content for two websites

She is interested in opportunities to apply her research expertise, survey design, data analysis, and her leadership experience to support research projects in education, workforce development, and organizational research.