Joel Alejandro Mejia

Joel Alejandro Mejia is an assistant professor in the Department of Integrated Engineering at the University of San Diego. He worked as a metallurgical and project engineer for Rio Tinto and FLSmidth on different projects around the world, including mining operations in Peru, Mexico, and Zambia. His current research has contributed to the integration of critical theoretical frameworks and Chicano Cultural Studies to investigate and analyze existing deficit models in engineering education, and...See more

Joel Alejandro Mejia is an assistant professor in the Department of Integrated Engineering at the University of San Diego. He worked as a metallurgical and project engineer for Rio Tinto and FLSmidth on different projects around the world, including mining operations in Peru, Mexico, and Zambia. His current research has contributed to the integration of critical theoretical frameworks and Chicano Cultural Studies to investigate and analyze existing deficit models in engineering education, and the development of critical consciousness among engineers. Dr. Mejia's work, influenced by his previous work as a metallurgical engineer, also examines how asset-based models impact the validation and recognition of students and communities of color as holders and creators of knowledge. His work seeks to analyze and describe the tensions, contradictions, and cultural collisions many Latinx students' experience in engineering through testimonios. He is particularly interested in approaches that contribute to a more expansive understanding of engineering in sociocultural contexts, the impact of critical consciousness in engineering practice, and development and implementation of culturally responsive pedagogies in engineering education. See less