Dr. Z Nicolazzo is an Associate Professor of Trans* Studies in Education at the Center for the Study of Higher Education and a member of the Trans* Studies Initiative at the University of Arizona. She earned her Ph.D. in Student Affairs in Higher Education at Miami University (OH), and formerly worked in various functional areas in student affairs, including residence life, sexual violence prevention programming, and student activities.
Dr. Nicolazzo’s latest research centers on tracing discourses of gender across postsecondary educational contexts, with a particular emphasis on transgender students. Her work takes a decidedly affirmative standpoint, and seeks to explore the ways transgender students are successful, despite the educational environments in which they learn, live, and work not being built with them in mind. Dr. Nicolazzo also has written about trans*-centered epistemologies and research methodologies in educational research.
Dr. Nicolazzo has one solo-authored book, three co-edited books, and over 20 solo and co-authored publications. She has published in a wide range of journals, including Review of Higher Education, Journal of College Student Development, TSQ: Transgender Studies Quarterly, Critical Studies in Education, Journal of LGBT Youth, Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, Journal of Critical Scholarship on Higher Education and Student Affairs, and others. She serves on multiple journal editorial boards, and is also a member of the International Advisory Board for the book series, Queer Studies in Education, with Palgrave/Macmillian. Dr. Nicolazzo’s work has received awards from ACPA—College Student Educators International, the Association of College and University Student Housing Officers—International (ACUHO-I), and the American Educational Research Association’s Division J (Higher Education).
Dr. Nicolazzo teaches classes on gender in education and college student cultures.
Office Hours by appointment.
