Dr. Sánchez Tapia is a researcher and practitioner working on international development with a focus on equity in education. Her research focuses on designing learning environments that support adolescents to develop STEM-related knowledge and skills, with an emphasis on marginalized groups because of ethnicity, language, and gender.  For over a decade Dr  Sánchez Tapia supported Ministries of Education in Latin America in their curricular reform efforts and national-level initiatives on science teacher professional development. Dr. Sánchez Tapia currently serves as UNICEF's Education Specialist focusing on Gender Equality in education,  Secondary Education and STEM, supporting governments across the globe to improve their education systems to ensure that all children fulfill their right to education. She also contributes to the United Nations Girls' Education Initiative (UNGEI). Dr. Sánchez Tapia is an active member of the global science education community and advocate of approaches to science education that emphasize equity and traditional indigenous knowledge.