Staff
Zakia Afrin
Research Program Coordinator
Zakia Afrin works as a Research Program Coordinator at Population Research Center (PRC). She completed master’s in Community and Regional Planning from University of New Mexico and bachelor’s in Urban and Regional Planning from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology. Zakia is passionate about the social and environmental impact of decision making on sustainable communities."
Candilaria Gonzalez
Research Associate
Candilaria Gonzalez recently graduated from Texas A&M University with a degree in Psychology. She is now working alongside the PeaceRox team as a Research Associate. Her previous research has centered around existential/social psychology and hopes to continue doing research in this field as she finds it to be her passion.
Zachary Kenny
Research Associate
Zachary Kenny is a new graduate from the University of Texas at Austin, where he completed his undergraduate studies in both Psychology and the Humanities Honors Program. He is an aspiring Clinical Psychologist, working as a Research Associate on the PeaceRox project, and hopes to continue doing research that is centered on the intersections of mental health, the criminal-legal system, and prevention science.
Samara Perez Labra
Research Associate
Samara Perez Labra is a recent graduate from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and is now serving as a Research Associate for the PeaceRox project. She is an aspiring social scientist from Durham, NC who is interested in Latin American Indigenous communities, cultures, and languages. She hopes to be part of research projects to help inform an effective and just policymaking process.
Denise Miller
Administrative Associate
Denise has experience working with government agencies and non-profit organizations. She has an associates in Business Administration from Austin Community College. Interests in social and juvenile justice.
Edwin Rodriguez
Senior Project Manager
Edwin has six years of experience at The University of Texas at Austin’s Population Research Center, where he orchestrated multifaceted projects, leveraging expertise in data systems optimization and communications strategies.
Advisory Board
Noel Busch-Armendariz
University Presidential Professor, IDVSA Director, Steve Hicks School of Social Work, The University of Texas at Austin
Helen Gaebler
Senior Research Attorney, William Wayne Justice Center for Public Interest Law, ILSJ Director of Community Engagement, The University of Texas at Austin
Chantal Hailey
Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology, ILSJ Advisory Board Member, The University of Texas at Austin
Micheal Roy Hames-Garcia
Professor, Department of Mexican American & Latino/a Studies, ILSJ Director of Education, The University of Texas at Austin
Becky Pettit
Professor, Department of Sociology, The University of Texas at Austin
Hannah Walker
Assistant Professor, Department of Government, ILSJ Director of Research, The University of Texas at Austin
Community Advisors
Jorge Renaud
Regional Director of Policy and Advocacy, Latino Justice
Reginald Smith
Founder, Building Promise USA, Community Liaison at TSU
Cynthia Simons
GMTW Women's Justice Director, Texas Center for Justice and Equity
Faculty Affiliates
Maria Arredondo
Assistant Professor, Department of Human Development and Family Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin
Margaret Bassett
Adjunct Assistant Professor, Steve Hicks School of Social Work, The University of Texas at Austin; Director of Applied Research and Innovative Instruction IDVSA
Mary Bock
Associate Professor, School of Journalism and Media, The University of Texas at Austin
Christopher Bryan
Assistant Professor, McCombs School of Business, The University of Texas at Austin
Kate Calder
Professor Chair, Department of Statistics and Data Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin
Yessenia Castro
Associate Professor and Associate Dean for Doctoral Education, Steve Hicks School of Social Work, The University of Texas at Austin
Joshua Childs
Assistant Professor, Department of Educational and Leadership Policy, The University of Texas at Austin
Michael Churgin
Raybourne Thompson Centennial Professor, School of Law, The University of Texas at Austin
Eric McDaniel
Associate Professor, College of Liberal Arts, The University of Texas at Austin
Michele Deitch
Distinguished Senior Lecturer, LBJ School of Public Affairs, The University of Texas at Austin
Ariel Dulitzky
Clinical Professor, Director of Human Rights Clinic, School of Law, The University of Texas Austin
J. Mark Eddy
Professor, Department of Educational Psychology, The University of Texas at Austin
Alison Engbretson
Administrative Manager, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin
Derek Epp
Assistant Professor, Department of Government, The University of Texas at Austin
Sergio I. Garcia-Rios
Assistant Professor, LBJ School of Public Affairs, The University of Texas at Austin
Denise Gilman
Clinical Professor, Director of Immigration Clinic, The University of Texas at Austin
Gloria Gonzalez-Lopez
Professor, C.B. Smith Sr. Centennial Chair, Department of Sociology, The University of Texas at Austin
Sherri Greenberg
Assistant Dean for State and Local Government Engagement, Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, The University of Texas at Austin
Anna Gunderson
Associate Professor, Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, The University of Texas at Austin
Sydney Harris
Director of Mental Health Care Redesign, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin
Lorna Hermosura
Assistant Professor of Instruction, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, The University of Texas at Austin
Peniel Joseph
Associate Dean for Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion; Professor, LBJ School of Public Affairs, The University of Texas at Austin
Jennifer Laurin
The Wright C. Morrow Professor, School of Law, The University of Texas at Austin
Talitha LeFlouria
Associate Professor and Fellow of the Mastin Gentry White Professorship in Southern History, Department of History, The University of Texas at Austin
Monica Martinez
Associate Professor, Department of History, The University of Texas at Austin
Yulanda McCarty-Harris
Director of Mission Critical Initiatives at the Steve Hicks School of Social Work’s Institute on Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault (IDVSA), The University of Texas at Austin
Sarojani Mohammed
Lecturer, School of Information, The University of Texas at Austin
Richard Murphy
Assistant Professor, Department of Economics, The University of Texas at Austin
Trisha Parekh
Assistant Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, The University of Texas at Austin
Shefali Patil
Associate Professor of Management, McCombs School of Business, The University of Texas at Austin
James Patton
Associate Professor of Instruction, Department of Special Education, The University of Texas at Austin
Brian Perez-Daple
Lecturer, School of Law, The University of Texas at Austin
Thea Posel
Clinical Assistant Professor, Steve Hicks School of Social Work, The University of Texas at Austin
Cristina Ramirez
Criminal Defense Lead, School of Law, The University of Texas at Austin
Sharon Ricks
Director of Health Equity Strategy & Transformation, Office of Health Equity, Dell Medical School, The University of Texas at Austin
Blake Rocap
Project Director, School of Law, The University of Texas at Austin
Mary Rose
Professor, Department of Sociology, The University of Texas at Austin
Phillip Schnarrs
Associate Professor, Department of Population Health, Dell Medical School, The University of Texas at Austin
Larry Schooler
Assistant Professor of Practice, Department of Communication Studies, The University of Texas at Austin
Michael Sierra-Arevalo
Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology, The University of Texas at Austin
William "Bill" Spelman
Emeritus Professor of Public Affairs, LBJ School of Public Affairs, The University of Texas at Austin
Natasha Strassfeld
Assistant Professor, Department of Special Education, The University of Texas at Austin
Caitlin Sulley
Director of Research & Operations, Institute on Violence and Sexual Assault, The University of Texas at Austin
Raymond Thompson
Assistant Professor, School of Media and Journalism, The University of Texas at Austin
Cody Tuttle
Assistant Professor, School of Economics, The University of Texas at Austin
Fatima Varner
Assistant Professor, Department of Human Development and Family Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin
Abigail Weitzman
Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology, The University of Texas at Austin
Alycia Welch
Associate Director, Prison and Jail Innovation Lab, The University of Texas at Austin
Post-Doctoral Fellows
Tyler Ludwig
Post-Doctoral Fellow, The University of Texas at Austin
Peter Tanksley
Post-Doctoral Fellow, The University of Texas at Austin
Students
Maya Arredondo
The University of Texas at Austin
Grace Anderson
The University of Texas at Austin
Alexander Davis
The University of Texas at Austin
Bry'Tazia Dial
The University of Texas at Austin
Khadijah Diaz
The University of Texas at Austin
Shambhavi Dubey
The University of Texas at Austin
Andreana Faucette
The University of Texas at Austin
Amanda Garcia
The University of Texas at Austin
Alyssah Gonzalez
The University of Texas at Austin
Kennedy Greenleaf
The University of Texas at Austin
Sudiksha Gudipati
The University of Texas at Austin
Nya Jones
The University of Texas at Austin
Connor Johnson
The University of Texas at Austin
Max Lisch
The University of Texas at Austin
Claire Migliore
The University of Texas at Austin
Sonali Muthukrishnan
The University of Texas at Austin
Ulviya Narmi
The University of Texas at Austin
Erin Rawls
The University of Texas at Austin
Alle Sanchez
The University of Texas at Austin
Meredith Sanchez
The University of Texas at Austin
Minerva Sharma
The University of Texas at Austin
Inaya Sheikh
The University of Texas at Austin
Isabella Sherwood
The University of Texas at Austin
Gloria Stout
The University of Texas at Austin
Soni Shukla
The University of Texas at Austin
Kylie Yim
The University of Texas at Austin
Michael Zhao
The University of Texas at Austin
Elaine Zhu
The University of Texas at Austin
Alumni
Lesley Chavez
The University of Texas at Austin
Jim Dauster
The University of Texas at Austin
Shanti Khanna
The University of Texas at Austin
Kaitlyn Marcatante
The University of Texas at Austin
Colleen Moisa
The University of Texas at Austin
Kenna Titus
The University of Texas at Austin
Fabian Gonzalez
The University of Texas at Austin