Cristina Sáenz, PhD

Dr. Cristina Sáenz is an educator, researcher, and national leader in invention education who serves as Invention Education Manager for the Lemelson-MIT Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In this role, she leads the development and implementation of invention education initiatives that empower educators and students to engage in creative problem-solving, innovation, and real-world impact. She oversees teams responsible for expanding invention education opportunities, designs and facilitates professional learning experiences for educators across the United States, and cultivates partnerships that connect schools and communities with experts in LMIT’s innovation ecosystem. Through her leadership, she works to scale equitable access to invention education while continuously improving program quality through research and evaluation.

 

Cristina’s work is grounded in a commitment to educational equity and broadening participation in STEM. Her research explores how historically underrepresented learners, particularly Latina students, develop identities as inventors and how networks of support create pathways into innovation. She has presented at national conferences, published scholarship on invention education, and served as an invited speaker for organizations including the U.S. Department of Education and the National Science Foundation. Drawing on her experience as a classroom teacher, university instructor, and researcher, Cristina advances a vision of invention education that equips learners with the skills, confidence, and agency to solve meaningful problems and shape a better future.