Jessica Luke is interested in people and the role that museums play in human development over an entire life span – subjects that connect well with information behavior and early learning research at the Information School.

“I am so pleased to join the iSchool. It is such a welcoming, supportive group, filled with people doing such interesting and compelling work,” says Luke.

In addition to her iSchool appointment, Luke is a senior lecturer for the museology graduate program. Her research is focused in particular on museums and youth development, family learning, and parent involvement.  Her latest research, funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, is a project to create a sustainable research network of children’s museum to foster cross-institutional research studies. 

Prior to joining the University of Washington in 2012, Luke served as director of research and evaluation at the Institute for Learning Innovation (ILI), a nonprofit organization dedicated to understanding, facilitating, and communicating about informal learning. While at ILI, she directed dozens of applied research studies in museums across the country, seeking answers to fundamental questions about why people visit these institutions and how and what they learn.

Luke earned her Ph.D. in education psychology from the University of Maryland and a master’s of museum studies from the University of Toronto.