Jian Li, Ph.D.

Jian received her Ph.D. in Quantitative Research, Evaluation, and Measurement from The Ohio State University in 2010. Before her appointment to the Evaluation and Measurement program at Kent State University, she worked as a research associate in the Evaluation Research Program at WestEd, a research organization stationed in California, where her responsibilities included developing and implementing research design, assessing instruments’ psychometric properties, and conducting first-hand and secondary analysis of large-scale databases. Her general research interests focus on methodological issues when quantitative statistical methods are applied to data that either have complex structures or are not perfect. She frequently uses hierarchical linear modeling, structural equation modeling, and advanced experimental and quasi-experimental designs such as randomized controlled trials, propensity score matching, regression discontinuity design, and interrupted time series. The second focus of her research is the application of statistical techniques in answering substantive research questions. She is particularly interested in assessing how physical and psychological health can affect human behavior, particularly, in the populations at risk with disabilities or vulnerabilities. She has served as a statistical consultant on projects funded by National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Institute of Education Sciences, National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Education, and State agencies.