Vivian Gadsden University of Pennsylvania
The inaugural 2026 Felice J. Levine Distinguished Contributions to Mentoring in Research and Leadership Award is presented to Dr. Vivian Gadsden for her sustained excellence in cultivating and supporting education researchers who have made consequential impacts through their scholarship and leadership. A leading scholar of child and adolescent development, culture, learning, and literacies, Professor Gadsden is an exemplary educator, leader, and mentor, who embodies “caring as praxis,” in the words of one of her nominators, and “honors the humanity of each person she encounters.”
The Dr. Felice J. Levine Distinguished Contributions to Mentoring in Research and Leadership Award is named in honor of Dr. Felice J. Levine, AERA Executive Director (2002-2025) in recognition of her commitments and exemplary contributions to mentoring and leadership development for researchers across career stages. The Dr. Felice J. Levine Distinguished Contributions to Mentoring in Research and Leadership Award is presented to an individual who has demonstrated excellence in mentoring students and early career scholars to become exemplary researchers and leaders who contribute to the knowledge base of our field. This award is bestowed on a senior researcher at least twenty years after receiving their doctorate.
The nomination deadline for the 2026 AERA Awards has now passed. Award winners will be announced in early 2026 prior to the AERA Annual Meeting.