Gilberto Lopez

Gilberto Lopez is an innovative applied social scientist and academic leader with experience in health communication, social and behavioral sciences research, and STEM education. As an assistant professor in the School of Transborder Studies at Arizona State University, Lopez has led numerous interdisciplinary research projects focused on promoting social justice and empowering marginalized communities. He is also the founding director of El Laboratorio, an award-winning research and design studio that creates effective and culturally-tailored science communication interventions.

Lopez's dedication to creating positive social change is evident in his work with the COVIDLatino.org campaign, an award-winning health communication campaign that combines rigorous public health research with the arts to create culturally-tailored COVID-19 information for Latinos across the US. He is also co-director of the ASU Migratory Student Summer Academy (MSSA), a STEM summer program for Arizona high school children of migrant farmworkers, and director of the Social Inequities Research Training Program (SIRT) at ASU, an interdisciplinary training program that focuses on teaching research methods and equipping students with the skills to use data to address social inequities across Arizona.

Lopez, a first-generation Latino college graduate, is originally from rural California and has achieved remarkable academic success. As a community college transfer student, he earned a BA in anthropology and Chicano studies from Fresno State University, followed by an MA in medical anthropology from Southern Methodist University. He went on to earn an MPH from Johns Hopkins University and a doctorate in social and behavioral sciences from Harvard University. His outstanding academic achievements and personal experiences reflect his deep commitment to promoting social justice and empowering marginalized communities.