Juan Miguel Arias

Juan Miguel Arias is an Assistant Professor in the Education Department at Colorado College. He holds a Ph.D. in Education, Developmental and Psychological Sciences from Stanford University (2020), an MSc in Evolutionary and Comparative Psychology from the University of St. Andrews (2014), and a BA in Neuroscience from Colorado College (2012). His research focuses on culturally sustaining pedagogy in environmental education, addressing issues of environmental and educational justice. He investigates how relational teaching practices impact youth engagement and community outcomes in outdoor education settings.

Education:

• PhD, Stanford University: Education Developmental and Psychological Sciences (2020)
• MSc, University of St. Andrews: Evolutionary and Comparative Psychology (2014)
• BA, Colorado College: Neuroscience (2012)

Research Interests: Dr. Arias explores the intersection of environmental education and developmental psychology, emphasizing culturally responsive practices. His work examines Latinx participation in nature experiences, the role of autonomy and relatedness in environmental motivation, and the implementation of culturally sustaining pedagogies in outdoor programs. He engages in partnerships with organizations like the Catamount Center and Vida Verde Nature Education to bridge academic and community efforts.

Awards & Grants:

• Stanford Haas Center Kennedy-Diamond Award (2020)
• Colorado College Creativity & Innovation Climate Justice Grants (2022)
• Stanford DARE Fellowship ($102,000, 2018–2020)
• Gerhard Casper Stanford Graduate Fellowship ($102,960, 2014)

Teaching & Leadership: Teaches courses in Educational Psychology, Environmental Education, and Critical Environmentalism. Serves on Colorado College’s Latine Staff & Faculty Affinity Group and steering committee for the Catamount Center partnership. Previously led community initiatives as a School-Community Interpreter (Spanish-English) and co-founded Stanford’s Graduate Mentorship Program.

Labs/Teams: Collaborates with the Office of Field Study on projects measuring psychological needs in environmental education and leads research on Latinx participation in nature programs with colleagues Diego Román and Quentin Sedlacek.