Akila Raoul
Akila Raoul received her Ph.D. in Applied Social Psychology from Loyola University Chicago where her dissertation research explored the intersection of social hierarchies and health determinants, and their influence on health beliefs and behaviors. Her journey in education research began during her graduate studies, where she worked on a National Science Foundation-funded project investigating the combined effect of exclusionary disciplinary practices, restorative justice, and police presence in schools on high school students’ perceptions of safety, fairness and belonging.
Building on this foundation, Akila served as Research Coordinator and later as Director of Research & Evaluation at an edtech company specializing in social and emotional learning. There, she developed her skills in developing assessments and platforms geared towards enhancing educational outcomes.
Akila's passion lies in leveraging mixed methods research and data analysis to advocate for equitable education—a commitment she brings to her role as Principal Researcher at Leanlab Education.
