Biography
Dr. OiYan Poon’s research agenda focuses on selective admissions processes, affirmative action policies, and the racial politics of Asian Americans and education. She has been awarded grants from the Gates Foundation, Joyce Foundation, and Spencer Foundation to support her research. She has also served as an undergraduate admissions reader at University of California–Davis and a scholarship application reviewer for the Gates Millennium Scholars Program.
Dr. Poon is a lead co-author of amicus briefs submitted to the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of social scientists supporting race-conscious admissions in SFFA v. Harvard. She has also worked closely in partnership with practitioner-leaders in college admissions. In 2019-2020, with practitioner-leaders from ACCEPT she co-lead the Joyce Foundation–supported Hack the Gates project, which convened researchers and practitioners in college admissions, to begin reimagining college admissions systems.
Journalists from national media outlets, such The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, The Chronicle of Higher Education, and The New Yorker, have reported on her work. She has also appeared on shows and podcasts such as MSNBC’s The Reid Out and National Public Radio’s Code Switch, All Things Considered, and Marketplace.
In 2022, she and Michael Bastedo edited and published Rethinking College Admissions: Research-Based Practice and Policy (Harvard Education Press). Her forthcoming book, Asian American is Not a Color, which presents her research on Asian Americans and racial politics in the affirmative action debates through personal storytelling, will be published by Beacon Press in 2024.
Articles, Publications, and Appearances
Asian American is Not a Color: Asian Americans, Race, and Racism. Boston, MA: Beacon Press. (forthcoming, 2024)
Rethinking college admissions research-based practice and policy. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press (with Michael Bastedo, 2022).
Asian Americans and race-conscious admissions: Understanding the conservative opposition’s strategy of misinformation, intimidation, and racial division. In N. Hillman & G. Orfield (Eds.), Federal Higher Education Policymaking in an Era of Racial and Political Polarization. Harvard Education Press (with Liliana Garces, 2022).
Op-ed: If the U.S. ditches affirmative action, all students will lose out. The Globe and Mail. https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-if-the-us-ditches-affirmative-action-all-students-will-lose-out/
“Race in college admissions is back in front of the Supreme Court. Here’s what to know” by Elissa Nadworny for NPR Education. https://www.npr.org/2022/10/29/1132449699/college-admissions-affirmative-action-supreme-court (Oct. 2022)
“Should elite higher education institutions end favorable admissions practices for children of alumni?” by Stephanie Hughes for Marketplace Morning Report. https://www.marketplace.org/2022/02/18/should-elite-higher-education-institutions-end-favorable-admissions-practices-for-children-of-alumni/ (Feb. 2022)
“40 years of research shows race-conscious admissions benefits all students expert says” appearance on The ReidOut on MSNBC. https://www.msnbc.com/the-reidout/watch/supreme-court-to-hear-affirmative-action-challenge-131606597792 (Jan. 2022)
“Critical race theory: A brief history” by Jacey Fortin for The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/article/what-is-critical-race-theory.html (July 2021)
“Why so many Asian Americans are learning remotely” by Anya Kamenetz for NPR. https://www.npr.org/2021/04/09/984789341/why-so-many-asian-americans-are-learning-remotely (April 2021)