Laura Chávez-Moreno is an award-winning researcher, qualitative social scientist, and assistant professor in the Departments of Chicana/o & Central American Studies and Education at the University of California, Los Angeles.  Prof. Chávez-Moreno researches, writes, and teaches about Chicanx/Latinx education.  She works at the intersections of education, pedagogy, language, literacy, and ethnic studies, particularly Chicanx/Latinx Studies.

Her research has been published in top-tier journals such as Review of Educational Research, Educational Researcher (2022; 2025), American Educational Research Journal, Research in the Teaching of English, and Journal of Teacher Education. Her research has been recognized with prestigious awards from organizations such as the American Educational Research Association and the National Academy of Education/Spencer Foundation. In 2023, she received the Alan C. Purves Award from the National Council of Teachers of English for her article, “The continuum of racial literacies: Teacher practices countering whitestream bilingual education,” published in Research in the Teaching of English. This annual award honors the article deemed most significant in advancing the field. Dr. Chávez-Moreno has taught at all levels of schooling, from elementary and secondary to tertiary and older-adult education. Her five years as a high school Spanish teacher in the School District of Philadelphia included writing district curriculum and serving on boards of community organizations.