Andres Bustamante

Andres Bustamante Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor at the University of California Irvine’s School of Education. He directs the Social, iTerative, Engaged, and Meaningful (STEM) Learning Lab. Andres designs and implements play-based early childhood STEM interventions in places and spaces that children and families spend time (e.g., parks, school yards, grocery stores etc.). He designs these spaces in partnership with local children and families, so they build from and sustain community values, goals, culture, and knowledge, while also maintaining connections to developmental and education sciences. He maintains an intentional focus on translating rigorous science from the lab, into meaningful research in the classroom, and the community. Andres is invested in research that has practical implications for school and life success for children and families from under-served communities. His work has been funded by the National Science Foundation, Advanced Education Research and Development Fund (AERDF), Heising Simons Foundation, and the American Educational Research Association (AERA). He was recognized by the Association for Psychological Science (APS) through their Rising Star Award for early career scholars. He is also committed to sharing and interpreting early childhood research with a broader audience through media outlets such as Brookings Institution, Psychology Today, & BOLD Blog.