Laura Perna is one of the nation’s foremost researchers on college access and affordability. Her scholarship focuses on how to ensure that all people, regardless of demographic characteristics and place of residence, have the opportunity to participate in and benefit from high-quality higher education. Of particular interest is identifying policies and practices of K–12 schools, colleges and universities, and federal and state governments that contribute to—and address—barriers to higher education.

Perna is co-founder and executive director of the Penn Alliance for Higher Education and Democracy (AHEAD), a research and consulting initiative dedicated to advancing higher education policy and practice that fosters open and democratic societies. Through its engagement with policymakers, institutional leaders, scholars, and practitioners, AHEAD conducts research and applies research-based knowledge to address the most pressing issues pertaining to the public purposes of higher education in the United States and around the globe.