Vanessa Lujan is Director of the Center for K-12 Science at the Lawrence Hall of Science, dedicated to creating sustainable change in K-12 systems and fostering inclusive K-12 science learning environments. She has research expertise in K-12 systems change and capacity building; district networks for the advancement in the quantity and quality of STEM education; and understanding the enactment of student science identities in formal learning environments.

Vanessa has served as Principal Investigator and Co-Principal Investigator of federal and foundation grant projects, and has led statewide and regional teacher and leader capacity-building efforts for STEM education. She serves on the Science Steering Committee of the California Mathematics, Science, and Computer Science Partnership as well as the National Academies Collaborative for Advancing Science Teaching and Learning in K-12. Vanessa holds a PhD and MA in Science Education from the University of Texas at Austin, and a BA in Human Biology from Stanford University.