Biography
Selen studies how people build coalitions, develop public policies, and the impact that change-making has on them. Focusing on government and higher education as case studies, Selen’s work utilizes mixed methods and interdisciplinary scholarship to explore how organizational dynamics, culture, and shifts in political economy influence change processes.
Selen's dissertation examines new urban coalitions who fight economic inequality in a time of increasing polarization. Titled Tech Boom to Tax Boom: Affordable Housing and the New Politics of Redistribution in a Superstar City, Selen’s dissertation asks how Seattle passed a historic business tax to fund affordable housing after years of unsuccessful attempts. Through archival analysis and key informant interviews, Selen’s research sheds light on the political shifts and realignments that challenge the assumptions around city power. Selen's other research projects extend her focus on public finance, urban governance, and the interplay of moral values and political identity.
Selen also explores how similar processes of group formation and institutional change operate within STEM fields in higher education. This focus emerged from conducting participatory action research with Revolutionizing Engineering Departments (RED): academic change teams funded by the NSF to create ‘revolutionary’ changes in undergraduate education, while preparing students to navigate current and future socio-technical challenges.
Selen works at UW-based interdisciplinary Center for Evaluation and Research for STEM Equity (CERSE), doing participatory action research and program evaluation. She serves on the EDI Committee for Cosmic Explorer.
Her publications are available on Google Scholar.