Computing education research

David M. Torres-Mendoza

Ph.D. student studying computing education pathways, equity, and broadening participation in CS.

Institution UC Santa Cruz
Department Computer Science & Engineering
Advisor Professor David Lee, Computational Media
Lab Tech4Good Lab
Portrait of David M. Torres-Mendoza

Areas of Research

  • 01

    Student Interest and Identity Development

    Understanding how students figure out what they care about, what they're good at, and where they might belong.

  • 02

    Exploration and Belonging in CS Education

    Studying the programs, relationships, and experiences that help student build confidence, interest, and a sense of belonging in computing.

  • 03

    Inclusive Systems and Program Design

    Building tools, feedback processes, and learning spaces that help students discover opportunities and feel supported.

Selected Publications

All publications

Evaluating exploratory reading groups for supporting undergraduate research pipelines in computing

Torres-Mendoza, D. M., Kheirinejad, S., Ajmal, M., Chembu, A., Palea, D., Whitehead, J., and Lee, D. T.

Proceedings of the 2024 ACM Conference on International Computing Education Research (ICER '24), 2024.

Read the paper

Computing education pathways from high school to community college: Key strategies for aligning institutional systems

Denner, J., Bell, H., Torres, D., and Green, E.

Computer Science Education, 34(1), 68-86, 2024.

Read the paper

Education & Awards

Ph.D. in Computer Science & Engineering in progress

UC Santa Cruz, started Fall 2023

Advisor: Professor David Lee, Computational Media

Lab: Tech4Good Lab

B.S. in Cognitive Science

University of California, Santa Cruz

  • 2023 BSOE Fellowship for Anti-Racism Research recipient

  • 2022 CSGrad4US NSF Fellowship recipient

  • Dean's Honors List

    Four out of twelve quarters at UC Santa Cruz