Marilú Lam-Herrera

I am a research and project leader with over 10 years of experience designing and delivering complex, high-impact initiatives across applied research, professional education, and stakeholder-facing environments. My work sits at the intersection of evidence synthesis, program leadership, and knowledge translation, helping organizations turn complex information into practical decisions, stronger programs, and meaningful outcomes.

    I am an engaged learning sciences scholar and currently serve as Education Researcher & Analyst at the CPA Western School of Business. I hold a Ph.D. in Learning Sciences from the University of Calgary, where my research focused on decolonization and complexity education. I also hold an M.A. in Industrial Design from Hanyang University in South Korea, a BSc in Design from UNIS University, and a Home Economics Teaching Degree from Guatemala.

Across academic, community, and organizational settings, I have led multi-stakeholder research, workshops, and advisory initiatives. My work includes action research to enhance educational practices and address real-world challenges; literature reviews; qualitative and quantitative analysis; interdisciplinary synthesis; and research-to-practice translation. I also plan and facilitate educational initiatives, workshops, and webinars, and collaborate across diverse teams.

    My scholarship and professional practice center on design-based research as a powerful tool for integrating practitioners’ knowledge and perspectives, particularly in relation to Indigenous and non-Indigenous ways of knowing. I apply experiential learning and prescriptive design approaches to create and develop learning activities in both formal and informal education settings. My expertise includes Indigenous perspectives, experiential and work-integrated learning, fieldwork, and evaluation research.  At my core, I connect rigorous thinking with practical delivery: framing questions, synthesizing evidence, managing moving parts, engaging stakeholders, and communicating clearly with both specialist and non-specialist audiences. I am especially interested in roles that combine research strategy, evidence reviews, program leadership, and advisory engagement in health, education, innovation, and other mission-driven sectors. My ultimate goal is to advance the learning sciences to encompass all learners’ perspectives, reflecting a deep commitment to inclusivity and diversity in education.