Thao T. Vo
Postdoctoral Research Associate in Mathematics and Statistics at Washington State University
Thao T. Vo, Ph.D., is a Postdoctoral Research Associate in Mathematics and Statistics at Washington State University (WSU). Grounded in her lived experience as an English Language Learner, immigrant, and first-generation scholar—combined with her training as a critical research methodologist—Dr. Vo’s research agenda centers on developing and applying culturally responsive measurement approaches to empower students, families, and educators in their learning and liberation. Her work is driven by a commitment to transformative justice, centering the voices and lived experiences of those most impacted by inequitable assessment systems. This includes her current role in the Validation of the Equity and Access Rubrics for Mathematics Instruction (VEAR-MI) project, providing validity evidence for a measure designed to identify and facilitate classroom practices that actively disrupt marginalization and foster equitable participation in mathematics for elementary and middle-school youth.
Prior to, Dr. Vo received her quantitative research training through the WSU Learning and Performance Research Center, focusing on advanced statistical and psychometric techniques to examine measurement equity issues for historically and systematically excluded populations. This work spanned across youth risk instruments, neuropsychiatric measures, and large-scale summative assessments and survey data. She has previously served as the Center for Measurement Justice (CMJ) Critical Quantitative Research Methodologist Fellow and as a Research Scientist for the Women in Measurement, providing research support for nonprofit organizations seeking to advance equitable opportunities for marginalized voices.
Dr. Vo received her Master's and Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from Washington State University, with a concentration on research methodologies. Her dissertation, fully funded by the Center for Measurement Justice and WSU Graduate School, was recently awarded the 2025 Washington Educational Research Association (WERA) Outstanding Dissertation Award.
