Vandana Sharma
she/her/hers
Research Interests
Special Education; Gender Studies; Comparative Education; K-12 Policies for Students with Disabilities; Commercialization and Internationalization of Higher Education; Early Childhood Education; Equity and Inclusion; Educational Policy and Critical Policy Analysis
Vandana Sharma is a PhD student in educational administration at the University at Buffalo, SUNY. She is a first-generation student and a woman of color. Her research focuses on how intersecting factors of (dis)ability, gender and race contribute to the increased vulnerability to gender-based violence (GBV) for U.S. high school girls with learning disabilities. Specifically, her research explores how organizational practices and policies affect, and to what end address, the learning experiences of adolescent girls at risk for GBV. She is committed to advancing inclusive policies and leadership practices that support and empower marginalized learners.
Current Affiliations
- American Educational Research Association
- AERA Special Interest Groups (SIG): Research on Women and Education; Disability Studies in Education; Special & Inclusive Education Research
- University Council of Educational Administration
Scholarships/Awards
- Dean’s Student Research Award, GSE, University at Buffalo, SUNY; 2025
- RWE Travel/Registration Award, AERA, Annual Meeting, Denver; 2025
- Educational Administration Recruitment Scholarship, GSE, UB, SUNY; 2024
- Graduate School of Education Scholarship (Year 1) University at Buffalo, SUNY; 2024
- Barbara Jackson Scholar; UCEA; Funded by the University at Buffalo, SUNY; 2024
- Taher and Myra Razik International Fellowship, University at Buffalo, SUNY; 2024
Publications
- Lemke, M. & Sharma, V. (In Press). Students with (dis)abilities and gender-based violence. In E. Blair & S. Deckman (Eds.), The SAGE encyclopedia of education and gender. (pp. TBD). SAGE.
Ad Hoc Reviewer
- International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education; February 2025
- Advancing Women in Leadership Journal; June 2025
- AERA 2026 Disability Studies in Education SIG; June 2025
GSE Service
- Graduate Student Ambassador, Graduate School of Education, University at Buffalo, SUNY, NY; 2024 to present
- Volunteer in GSE Convocation; 2025
- GSE Symposium Planning Committee Co-Chair. University at Buffalo, SUNY; March 2024