Dr. Curtis Cain is an associate professor in the College of Information Sciences and Technology at Penn State, where his research, teaching, and service focus on advancing equity in higher education through data-driven systems, culturally responsive analytics, and institutional transformation. He brings interdisciplinary experience across information systems, public policy, and education research, with a career rooted in the belief that data should be used not just to describe disparities but to dismantle the systems that sustain them.
Cain’s work lies at the intersection of educational equity, applied data science, and organizational change. He leads research on access, attainment, and belonging for historically marginalized learners through institutional partnerships, federal initiatives, and philanthropic investments. His applied research portfolio includes leadership roles on multi-million-dollar projects funded by the National Science Foundation, National Security Agency, Office of Naval Research and Department of Defense, and Google, where he has helped design and reimagine student success in postsecondary education. Cain is also an NSF CAREER award recipient; his project examined the pathways, obstacles, and systemic barriers to entering, sustaining, and thriving in the computing field, with the goal of reinforcing positive experiences to broaden participation in the discipline.
Prior to joining Penn State, Cain held a tenured faculty appointment at Howard University and currently serves as the Director of Broadening Participation Initiatives at the Computing Research Association. He also supports emerging scholars and practitioners through mentorship, research fellowships, and capacity-building efforts focused on data ethics, qualitative inquiry, and community-engaged scholarship.
Through his work, Cain challenges traditional notions of institutional effectiveness and encourages critical reflection on how data systems, policy, and practice shape the lived experiences of students. He is committed to building coalitions across disciplines and helping to imagine more just and liberatory futures in education and beyond.
