Steven Lenaers is a sociologist who lectures on gender, diversity and equal opportunities in economics, media, arts and design. He is the co-ordinator of the Educational Master of Art in LUCA School of Arts, campus C-mine. His research specifically looks at the concept of diversity within the socio-cultural setting.

Steven lectures as a professor at LUCA School of Arts on the topic of Diversity in the course Introduction to Art Education. In addition he teaches Media, Arts, Design and Context 1 in which he places contemporary art and design in a social context to an audience of first year bachelor students. In the product design curriculum he uses narratives in an Semiotics and Ethics course to guide graduating bachelor students into their future identity as a designer.

He is also a visiting professor at Hasselt University responsible for teaching Sociology to students of Applied Economics and guiding student research on topics of gender, diversity and equal opportunities in the cultural sector.

As a senior researcher he is the head of the Cultural Education and Participation research cluster. This research is embedded within the Educational Master of Arts curriculum. The research focuses on learning activities within cultural industries such as museums, libraries and other organisations in the social-cultural field. How can these organisations enhance participation of diverse groups in their activities? The focus is on the development of learning pathways through diversification of education to serve both privileged as well as underserved populations. The research results are educational designs based on practice and supported by theory, to be used in learning activities in art and design education as well as in the cultural industries.

 Current project within the research cluster and affiliated with it include: