Lauren Gerlowski

Lauren Gerlowski is a human geography PhD Candidate in the Department of Geography at the University of Wisconsin-Madison under the direction of co-advisors Dr. Kristopher Olds and Dr. Stephen Young. Her dissertation project engages with urban geography, feminist political economy, and cultural industries to address how neoliberal urban economic policy affects and is challenged by dancers, dance, and urban space in the global city of Chicago, IL. Her dissertation research is supported by grants from the Society of Woman Geographers and UW-Madison Trewartha Geography Department awards.

Lauren’s approach to teaching is rooted in empowering students to leverage their unique backgrounds and skills to creatively and critically approach topics of global importance through active learning, open dialogue, and reflexivity. In her classrooms, Lauren prioritizes sparking joy through the learning process, encouraging students to develop their critical thinking skills through topics they are passionate about.

Lauren has been recognized for her commitment to student-centered pedagogy at the department, college, and university levels. She specifically received a Teaching Fellows Award from the University of Wisconsin-Madison College of Letters and Sciences (2020) and a campus-wide teaching award ‘Advanced Achievement in Teaching’ (2025) from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Lauren finished and received her Delta Certificate from UW-Madison’s NSF-funded Delta program which is part of the Center for Integrated Teaching, Research, and Learning (Aug 2024).