Linda J. Sax

Professor

Linda J. Sax is a Professor in the School of Education & Information Studies at UCLA and Founding Director of Momentum: Accelerating Equity in Computing and Technology. She received her B.A. degree (1990) in political economy from UC Berkeley, and her M.A. (1991) and Ph.D. (1994) degrees in higher education from UCLA. For over a decade, Dr. Sax served as director of the Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP) and Associate Director of the Higher Education Research Institute (HERI) at UCLA, where she oversaw nationwide surveys of college students and faculty.

Dr. Sax’s research focuses on gender differences in college student development, with an emphasis on women in STEM fields. Dr. Sax has generated over $11 million in research funding and is currently Principal Investigator for several research studies focused on understanding diversity efforts in undergraduate computing. Her work on this topic has been funded by the National Science Foundation, AnitaB.org, the Computing Research Association, the Kapor Center, Google.org, and Pivotal Ventures, Executive Office of Melinda Gates.

Dr. Sax is the recipient of the 2025 Research Achievement Award from the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE), the 2019 ASHE Mentoring Award, and the 1999 ASHE Early Career Award. Dr. Sax was selected as a 2007-2008 Fellow for the Sudikoff Family Institute for Education & New Media. She is also the recipient of the 2005 Scholar-in-Residence Award from the American Association of University Women.

Dr. Sax has authored over 125 publications including The Gender Gap in College: Maximizing the Developmental Potential of Women and Men, as well as several book chapters, monographs, and articles in journals such as Research in Higher Education, The Review of Higher Education, The Journal of Higher Education, The Journal of College Student Development, and The Journal of Women and Minorities in Science and Engineering. She serves on the Editorial Boards for The Journal of Higher Education and Research in Higher Education and was a Trustee of Mount Saint Mary’s University in Los Angeles from 2013-2022.

Departments

Department of Education

Programs

Areas of Expertise and Advising Interests

Research Centers

Momentum: Accelerating Equity in Computing and Technology

Titles and Positions

Professor, Department of Education
Founding Director, Momentum: Accelerating Equity in Computing and Technology

Education

Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles, 1994
B.A., University of California, Berkeley, 1990

Awards, Honors and Fellowships

Research Achievement Award, Association for the Study of Higher Education, 2025
Mentoring Award, Association for the Study of Higher Education, 2019
UCLA Department of Education Distinguished Teaching Award, 2015
Fellow, Sudikoff Family Institute for Education & New Media – 2008-09
University Scholar-in-Residence Award, American Association of University Women, 2005-2007
Early Career Scholar Award, Association for the Study of Higher Education, November 1999

Select Publications

Sax, L. J. (2025). Studying the college student experience: Reflections on a lifetime of questions. Journal of the First-Year Experience and Students in Transition, 37(1), 9-19.
Sax, L. J., Nhien, C., & Stormes, K. N. (2024). A quantitative methodological review of research on broadening participation in computing, 2005-2022. In Proceedings of the 55th ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education V. 1 (pp. 1182-1188).
Sax, L. J., Newhouse, K. N. S., Goode, J., Nakajima, T. M., Skorodinsky, & M., Sendowski, M. (2022). Can computing be diversified on “principles” alone? Exploring the role of AP Computer Science courses in students’ major and career intentions. ACM Transactions on Computing Education, 22(2): 1-26.
Sax, L. J., George, K. L., Harris, D., & Payton, F. C. (2020). Reframing the representation of Black students in undergraduate computing. Journal of Women and Minorities in Science and Engineering, 26(4), 325-356.
Sax, L. J., Blaney, J. M., Lehman, K. J., Rodriguez, S. L., George, K. L., & Zavala, C. (2018). Sense of Belonging in Computing: The Role of Introductory Courses for Women and Underrepresented Minority Students. Social Sciences, 7(8), 1-24.
Sax, L. J., Lehman, K., Jacobs, J.A., Kanny, A., Lim, G., Monje-Paulson, L. & Zimmerman, H. (2017). Anatomy of an Enduring Gender Gap: The Evolution of Women’s Participation in Computer Science. The Journal of Higher Education, 88(2): 258-293.
Sax, L. J., Zimmerman, H. B., Blaney, J. M., Toven-Lindsey, B., & Lehman, K. (2017). Diversifying Computer Science Departments: How Department Chairs Become Change Agents for Women and Underrepresented Minority Students. Journal of Women and Minorities in Science and Engineering, 23 (2): 101-119.
Sax, L. J., Kanny, A., Jacobs, J., Whang, H., Weintraub, D. S. & Hroch, A. (2016). Understanding the Changing Dynamics of the Gender Gap in Undergraduate Engineering Majors: 1971-2011. Research in Higher Education, 57 (5): 570-600.
Sax, L. J., Kanny, M. A., Riggers-Piehl, T. A., Whang, H., & Paulson, L. N. (2015). “But I’m Not Good at Math”: The Changing Salience of Mathematical Self-Concept in Shaping Women’s and Men’s STEM Aspirations. Research in Higher Education, 56 (8): 813-842.
Sax, L. J. (2008). The Gender Gap in College: Maximizing the Developmental Potential of Women and Men. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.