Laura M. Portnoi

Dr. Laura M. Portnoi is a Professor in the Department of Advanced Studies in Education and Counseling at the College of Education, California State University, Long Beach. She has held leadership roles such as co-coordinator of the Social and Cultural Analysis of Education (SCAE) master’s program, Assistant Chair of her department, and co-chair of the Provost's Task Force on Graduate Student Success.

• Ph.D. in Comparative Education, University of California, Los Angeles (2005)
• M.Phil. in Education, University of the Western Cape, South Africa (2001)
• M.A. in West European Studies, Indiana University (1998)
• B.A. in German and Communication, University of Michigan (1994)

Her research centers on international and comparative education, with a focus on global competition in higher education, gender equity in STEM, particularly in computer science, and the socialization and retention of graduate students and faculty. She also investigates institutional culture, educational policy, and affirmative action in higher education, with regional expertise in Southern Africa. Her methodological approach is primarily qualitative.

The 15 most recent publications and presentations reflect a sustained scholarly engagement with the discourse and policy of global competition in higher education, world-class university narratives, and gender equity in STEM pathways. Her work often employs critical and comparative frameworks, analyzing how global trends are mediated locally (glonacal theory). She has co-authored extensively with scholars such as Susan Bagley and Virginia Rust, and her research has been published in journals like Comparative Education Review, Research in Comparative and International Education, and World Studies in Education.

Dr. Portnoi has received research funding from the National Science Foundation for her project on promising practices for women in computer science. She has also contributed to institutional leadership through service on the Academic Senate Advisory Committee, the Graduate Programs Committee, and the President and Provost's Leadership Fellows Program.

• Current NSF-funded research on women in computer science education
• Research on global competition in higher education policy documents
• Book project on globalization, policy borrowing, and educational reform

She has advised graduate students in areas related to higher education policy, equity, and international education, though specific student names are not listed. Her collaborative research network includes scholars in the U.S. and South Africa, reflecting her transnational academic perspective.

Dr. Portnoi's work is situated in several research centers and initiatives, including her involvement with the Provost's Task Force on Graduate Student Success and her contributions to the broader discourse through publications and conference presentations at the Comparative and International Education Society (CIES) and the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE).