Chris Kirk, PhD, serves as a Principal Research Associate at Higher Ed Insight. He is passionate about exploring how colleges and universities cultivate environments that influence student success. Specifically, he seeks to understand how these environments promote equity for underrepresented students. With a background as a student affairs practitioner specializing in housing & residence life and academic advising, Dr. Kirk has always been dedicated to supporting student success. Now, as an education researcher, he aims to contribute to research that further contributes to this goal. Dr. Kirk’s extensive research experience includes evaluating an NSF-funded traineeship at Penn State, studying STEM intervention programs, contributing to a campus climate study, and evaluating various other programs. Dr. Kirk holds a PhD in Higher Education from Penn State University. He has a master’s in the same field and a bachelor’s degree from Taylor University.