Laura Dahl

Laura S. Dahl, Ph.D. (she/her) is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Education and Program Coordinator for Higher Education and Student Affairs at New York University’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development. Her research uses quantitative methods to critically examine how collegiate environments influence prosocial outcomes such as sense of belonging, self-authored worldview commitment, career expectations, and intergroup appreciation. She leads the Assessment of Collegiate Residential Environments and Outcomes (ACREO) project and co-leads a National Association of Campus Activities-funded study on hazing experiences in student organizations. Dr. Dahl is also a research consultant for the INSPIRES Campus Climate Index and InFORM projects.

Dr. Dahl holds a B.S. in Applied Mathematics (Georgia Tech, 2009), an M.Ed. in College Student Affairs (University of Georgia, 2011), and a Ph.D. in Higher Education and Student Affairs (Ohio State, 2019). Prior to NYU, she was an Assistant Professor at North Dakota State University and Research Director at Ohio State’s College Impact Laboratory. She previously directed research programs at Rutgers University’s Douglass Residential College.

Her work focuses on equity-driven initiatives in higher education, including interfaith climate improvement, first-year student transitions, and strategies to reduce hazing. Key areas include: (1) advancing measurable outcomes for student belongingness; (2) leveraging institutional partnerships to address systemic inequities; and (3) developing evidence-based tools for assessing campus climates around religion/secularism, gender, and race.

Current projects include:

• ACREO: Examining residential environments’ impact on student outcomes
• INSPIRES: Interfaith climate assessment across 50+ institutions
• InFORM: Faculty perceptions of religious/secular student matters

Dr. Dahl’s research has been supported by grants from the National Association of Campus Activities and the College Impact Lab. Her publications (see full list in articles section) address issues ranging from hazing prevention to integrative learning outcomes in STEM disciplines.