Our People

Faculty, Graduate Students & Alumni

Faculty

Dr. Wenchao Ma

Dr. Wenchao Ma

Associate Professor

Email Scholar Profile

Dr. Wenchao Ma

The American Guidance Service Inc. and John P. Yackel Professor in Educational Assessment and Measurement
Associate Professor, Department of Educational Psychology, University of Minnesota

Dr. Ma's research centers on the development of innovative psychometric methods to enhance measurement practices in education and psychology, along with the application of measurement techniques to survey and scale development and validation.

A central focus of his recent methodological work is cognitive diagnosis models (CDMs), which are grounded in item response theory (IRT) and latent class analysis. His goal is to develop rigorous psychometric toolsets that support personalized learning and data-informed instructional decision-making.

He is the developer of the GDINA R package, a widely used tool for fitting and evaluating cognitive diagnosis models. His work has appeared in journals such as the Journal of Educational Measurement, Psychometrika, British Journal of Mathematical and Statistical Psychology, and Applied Psychological Measurement.

Cognitive Diagnosis Models Item Response Theory Latent Class Analysis Scale Development R Software

Current Graduate Students

Scarlett
Scarlett Sophie Escudero Osorio

PhD Student, QME Program

Scarlett is a PhD student in the QME program, co-advised by Drs. Wenchao Ma and Nidhi Kohli. Her research focuses on psychometric modeling, specifically cognitive diagnosis models (CDMs), and their extensions in longitudinal contexts. She is committed to using measurement models as tools for educational improvement and promoting equitable access to quality education.

In her free time, she enjoys reading, watching horror movies, and spending time with her cat.

Cognitive Diagnosis Models Psychometric Modeling Longitudinal Measurement
Yiming
Yiming Chen

PhD Student, QME Program

Yiming Chen is a PhD student in the QME program, co-advised by Drs. Wenchao Ma and Nana Kim. Her research mainly focuses on psychometric models, particularly Cognitive Diagnostic Models and Item Response Theory. She is also interested in examining process data from computer-based assessments.

In her free time, she likes baking, singing and watching movies.

Cognitive Diagnosis Models Item Response Theory Process Data
Join the Lab

Dr. Ma is currently accepting doctoral students in the Quantitative Methods in Education (QME) program. Students with research interests in psychometrics, measurement, and data analytics are encouraged to apply. Contact wma@umn.edu for more information.

Alumni

Mehdi
Dr. Mehdi Rajeb

PhD

Dr. Mehdi Rajeb is a recent PhD graduate from the University of Alabama, advised by Dr. Wenchao Ma. His research focuses on psychometric models and educational measurement. He is currently Data Analytics Manager at City of Birmingham.

Cognitive Diagnosis Models Item Response Theory Process Data
Benjamin
Dr. Benjamin Lugu

PhD

Benjamin is a recent PhD graduate from the University of Alabama, advised by Dr. Wenchao Ma. His research focuses on psychometric models and educational measurement. He is currently Teaching Assistant Professor of Educational Statistics and Research Methods at the University of Arkansas.

Cognitive Diagnosis Models Structural Equation Modeling