Lauren Aimonette Liang is an Associate Professor in the Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Utah, where she has served since 2011. She directs the LEAP-Quest Academic Learning Communities and co-directs the READ-U Program (Reading with Empathy, Awareness, and Depth with U). Her work focuses on children's and adolescent literature integration in education, emphasizing diversity, comprehension strategies, and social-emotional growth. PhD in Curriculum and Instruction - Literacy Education (University of Minnesota) MA in Cognition and Development (University of California, Berkeley) BA in English and American Studies (University of Notre Dame) Dr. Liang's research explores: Selection and pedagogical use of global/culturally diverse literature Text characteristics influencing student comprehension Multimodal literacy through book trailers and makerspaces Teacher education curriculum development Impact of digital storybook features on learning Social-emotional learning through literature Her publications span top journals like Reading Research Quarterly and Reading Psychology , with a 2025 book Courageous Conversations in the Classroom addressing mental health through literature. Current grants include the READ-U Program (Beverley Taylor Sorenson Foundation) and past US Department of Education funding. Professional recognition includes: University Professorship (2016-2018) Outstanding Undergraduate Research Mentor Award (2024) College of Education Teaching Award (2009) Dina Feitelson Research Award (2022) She has organized numerous community-engaged author visits and developed frameworks like "PURPOSEful Text Selection" for educators, while serving on prestigious award committees such as the Caldecott Medal and Batchelder Award panels.






