Leia K. Cain

Leia K. Cain serves as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Evaluation, Statistics, and Methodology within the College of Education at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and coordinates the Qualitative Research Methods in Education graduate certificate program.

Her academic credentials include:

• PhD in Educational Foundations and Inquiry, University of South Carolina
• Graduate Certificate in Women’s and Gender Studies, University of South Carolina
• MEd in Educational Research and Measurement, University of South Carolina
• BA in Sociology, East Carolina University

Dr. Cain employs Arts Based Research and Narrative Inquiry methodologies informed by critical theorists including Gloria Anzaldúa, bell hooks, and Patricia Hill Collins. Her research centers on methodological and ethical reasoning in research with marginalized populations, and the lived experiences of LGBTQIA+ individuals in higher education, emphasizing researcher ontological and epistemological commitments.

She actively mentors students through the graduate certificate program and partners with campus organizations to develop supportive pathways for LGBTQIA+ communities. Dr. Cain presents her work internationally across the United States, Japan, and Trinidad and Tobago, and maintains active engagement with the American Educational Research Association (AERA), American Evaluation Association (AEA), and International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry (ICQI).