Zachary K. Collier

Zachary K. Collier is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Connecticut. He holds a Ph.D. in Measurement and Statistics from the University of Florida (2018) and a B.S. in Special Education from Winthrop University (2013).

His research integrates Causal Machine Learning and Structural Equation Modeling with critical perspectives to advance equitable data analysis methods. He developed the CritSEM framework to examine how social and structural inequalities shape measurement constructs.

• Founded the MUDD Lab (Methods for Unstructured and Difficult to use Data) in 2020
• Secured over $9 million in external funding

His work emphasizes fairness, data ethics, and methodological transparency across education, public health, and social sciences. Selected publications demonstrate innovative applications of machine learning to educational measurement challenges.

Scientific recognition includes:

• Emerging Scholar
• Featured Mathematician