We are scientists and practitioners committed to building data to improve people's lives.

Jennifer Skeem

Principal Investigator

Jennifer Skeem

Principal Investigator

Jennifer Skeem is a Professor of Public Policy and Social Welfare at the University of California, Berkeley. She is a psychologist who studies the intersection between mental health and risk of involvement in the criminal legal system. Her work provides empirical guidance on efforts to prevent violence, improve legal decision-making, advance forensic and correctional services, and achieve effective and equitable justice reform. Her most recent work focuses on the promise of serious videogames for preventing aggression and promoting positive development among young people in urban elementary schools.

Email:jenskeem@berkeley.edu

Sharon Farrell

Executive Director

Sharon Farrell

Executive Director

Dr Farrell is the Executive Director of the Risk Resilience Research Lab where she has been since 2016. She works with the Lab’s Faculty Director to manage the daily operations of the Lab including managing the lab’s staff, coordinating the lab’s partnerships, and all stages of the Lab’s research. With a career dedicated to research in the criminal justice field, Dr. Farrell has undertaken diverse projects. Recent projects have ranged from a large, randomized controlled field trial testing innovative correctional services for people with mental illness, to a qualitative study on probationers’ experiences when adult fees were repealed. She is also currently overseeing a random controlled trial, to test the effectiveness of a digital intervention developed by the Lab, to prevent aggression and promote prosocial development among juveniles at risk. She has a BA in Psychology from the University of California Berkeley and a PhD in Criminology, Law & Society from the University of California Irvine.

Email:smfarrell@berkeley.edu

Aldazia Green

Ph.D Student

Aldazia Green

Ph.D Student

Aldazia Green is a first-year MSW/Ph.D. student at the School of Social Welfare. Her research interests include examining the systemic and individual factors contributing to recidivism. Specifically, she is interested in addressing mental health factors that commonly affect justice-involved populations through investigating effective prevention interventions. Before attending UC Berkley, Aldazia received her BA in Psychology from Rutgers University. As a McNair Scholar at Rutgers, she examined if anti-Black women's biases and empathy have an effect on Black maternal health perceptions. Outside of her previous research experiences, Aldazia became an intern at New Jersey Scholarship and Transformative Education in Prison organization ( NJ-Step), where she supported qualifying returning citizens in their transition from prison to college.

Alejandra Hilbert

Research Assistant

Alejandra Hilbert

Research Assistant

Alejandra (she/they) graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with degrees in Psychology and Legal Studies. Passionate about engineering psychology, she is eager to explore how user-centered technology can support human perception and enhance decision-making. With an emphasis on creating impactful digital tools, Alejandra's research aims to bridge the gap between psychology and technology to benefit diverse populations.

Andrew Dai

Data Analyst

Andrew Dai

Data Analyst

Andrew Dai is currently studying Data Science at UC Berkeley. He is passionate about learning to leverage tech to support students and athletes in real-world problems. Andrew gets to work on projects involving gamification to advance youth education, and movement and internal body data to support athlete health. After college, he plans to enter the sports science and tech industry to continue making a positive difference in mental and physical health. For fun he enjoys playing basketball, watching Netflix, and digital painting!

Adriana Ho

Student Research Assistant

Adriana Ho

Student Research Assistant

Adriana is a second-year undergraduate at the University of California, Berkeley, majoring in Cognitive Science with a minor in Data Science. Her interests lie at the intersection of neuroscience, computer science, and social systems, focusing on how data analysis and computational methods can improve human health. Her research explores the development of human-centered technologies, with attention to how technology shapes behavior and well-being. She plans to pursue a master’s degree in Computational Social Science and hopes to work with nonprofit organizations to advocate for healthcare and environments for underserved communities.

Anabel Mia Martinez

Lab Manager

Anabel Mia Martinez

Lab Manager

Anabel Martinez is a senior at the University of California, Berkeley, majoring in Psychology with a minor in Education. She is passionate about understanding mental health and cognitive development in children and young adults. In her free time, Anabel gains hands-on experience at a psychology clinic, working closely with children to deepen her knowledge and skills. After graduating from Cal, she plans to pursue graduate studies with the goal of becoming a school psychologist. 

Belisse Ginette Casey

Student Research Assistant

Belisse Ginette Casey

Student Research Assistant

Belisse is a third year student at the University of California, Berkeley majoring in Psychology and minoring in Health and Wellness. She is passionate about developmental psychology and wants to work toward creating an environment that promotes youth wellbeing. She hopes to go to graduate school to pursue a higher degree in psychology and is interested in contributing to mental health treatments of marginalized communities.

Christian Fernandez

Student Research Assistant

Christian Fernandez

Student Research Assistant

Christian (He/Him) is a Latinx, 1st-gen, 3rd-year transfer. He is majoring in Sociology and is currently working on obtaining his Bachelor's degree. He plans on continuing his education by pursuing his Master's in Social Welfare. His interest in Sociology stems from his adverse background. Coming from a diverse, low-income household has contributed to his goals in life. His long-term goals are to obtain his license in clinical social work and to work with at-risk youth. He wants to help individuals, families, and communities overcome social, emotional, and psychological challenges. 

Ella Choi 

Student Research Assistant

Ella Choi 

Student Research Assistant

Ella Choi is a fourth-year Psychology major with a minor in Korean Language at the University of California, Berkeley. She is particularly interested in research that examines how developmental and environmental factors influence mental health outcomes, especially among youth and culturally diverse populations. Outside the classroom, Ella is deeply committed to community service, tutoring underserved elementary students through the Ignite Fellowship and supporting patients through Project Sunshine and at St. Jude Medical Center. In the future, she plans to pursue a career in medicine with a focus on mental and developmental health. 

Eva Salgado

Student Research Assistant

Eva Salgado

Student Research Assistant

Eva is a second-year undergraduate student at the University of California, Berkeley, majoring in Political Economy with a minor in Global Studies. Her research focuses on policy-relevant analysis, including reviewing and coding parole hearings to identify decision-making patterns. These studies highlight the human stakes of legal processes and the impact of restorative, equity-centered approaches to justice. Eva’s broader academic interests center on international economic and political development, with a particular emphasis on constitutional systems. In the future, she hopes to pursue a law degree and continue studying evidence-based policies that strengthen democratic governance and protect constitutional rights.

JaVon Hampton 

Student Research Assistant

JaVon Hampton 

Student Research Assistant

JaVon Hampton (he/him) is a student at the University of California, Berkeley, pursuing a degree in Cognitive Science with a focus on psychology and human behavior. He is passionate about the intersection of neuroscience, mental health, and social equity, and aims to develop accessible interventions that support underrepresented communities. Through his work, JaVon hopes to contribute to research that empowers individuals to thrive in the face of adversity and foster stronger, more resilient systems of care. 

Jishan Jiang

Student Research Assistant

Jishan Jiang

Student Research Assistant

Jishan Jiang is a Senior majoring in Legal Studies and Data Science with a minor in Education. As an aspiring researcher and educator, her interests lie at the intersection of educational equity, law, and technology to advance social justice. She has experience in data management, educational policy analysis, and teaching data ethics courses. Jishan aims to harness the transformative potential of educational technologies to foster equity and promote inclusive, empowering learning environments. 

Karen Perez-Guido 

Student Research Assistant

Karen Perez-Guido 

Student Research Assistant

Karen is a third-year undergraduate student at UC Berkeley, double majoring in Psychology and Legal Studies. She is interested in mental health and behavior, specifically, their intersection with the criminal legal system. She is passionate about exploring how psychological factors influence criminal behavior and how understanding individuals’ real-life experiences can inform more effective interventions. Karen believes that addressing the root causes of crime and identifying effective support systems are essential for breaking cycles of recidivism, preventing future offenses. She intends to continue her education in graduate school, focusing on forensic or legal psychology, with the ultimate goal of working as a criminal psychologist within correctional settings with incarcerated individuals.  

Kendall Bostre

Student Research Assistant

Kendall Bostre

Student Research Assistant

Kendall is a second year undergrad at the University of California, Berkeley, majoring in Integrative Biology with an emphasis in Human Biology. Kendall is passionate about supporting youth in marginalized communities and is interested in how biological and environmental factors shape human health and development. In the future, Kendall hopes to pursue a career in pediatric dentistry, combining clinical care and community advocacy to promote more equitable health care for children.

Kelli Bacher

Youth Development Specialist

Kelli Bacher

Youth Development Specialist

Kelli graduated from UC San Diego with a BA in Psychology and received her PPS Credential and MS in Counseling from CSU East Bay. Her background as a school counselor in the Bay Area over the past two + decades has reinforced her passion for guiding students toward realizing and striving for their potential.

Layla Goldberg

Student Research Assistant

Layla Goldberg

Student Research Assistant

Layla is a fourth-year undergraduate student at UC Berkeley, double majoring in Legal Studies and Sociology with minors in Public Policy and Global Poverty & Practice. Her research focuses on parole decision-making, structured assessment tools, and the human dimensions of legal processes. Layla’s broader academic interests include restorative and transformative justice, the treatment of sexual violence within legal systems, and the balance between accountability and healing. She plans to pursue a law degree and continue researching how legal institutions can better promote fairness, dignity, and reintegration for those impacted by incarceration.

Luke Pavelchik

Student Research Assistant

Luke Pavelchik

Student Research Assistant

Luke (he/him) is a second-year student at the University of California, Berkeley. He is pursuing a degree in Rhetoric. Luke is passionate about literature, legal studies, and education. Within the Risk-Resilience Research Lab, Luke is a research assistant for the Playing for Change Program. He hopes that by working in the lab, he can have a positive impact on the lives of kids in our Bay Area community.

Marlene Gomez 

Student Research Assistant

Marlene Gomez 

Student Research Assistant

Marlene (she/her) is currently pursuing a degree in Political Science and Minoring in Education at the University of California, Berkeley. With a strong dedication to increasing educational equity, her research is focused on demystifying education for marginalized students and supporting them in reaching their academic aspirations. She intends to pursue a master's degree in Education Leadership and Policy to continue to fight for student advocacy and academic reform. 

Maryam Ghazzali 

Student Research Assistant

Maryam Ghazzali 

Student Research Assistant

Maryam is a fourth-year Psychology major at UC Berkeley, currently assisting with the Playing for Change project. As a Bay Area local, Maryam was drawn to psychology early on by the region’s translational innovations and their impact on diverse communities. After graduation, she plans to continue working in research and pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, with the goal of advancing the field through both scientific inquiry and clinical practice. Her current research interests include developing low-cost interventions, exploring the role of awe in self-concept, and applying psychological insights to inform policy. 

Melissa Montes de Oca-Facio

Student Research Assistant

Melissa Montes de Oca-Facio

Student Research Assistant

Melissa is a third-year undergraduate student at the University of California, Berkeley, double-majoring in Psychology and Legal Studies. She is interested in mental health and behavior, with a focus on the criminal legal system and restorative justice approaches to harm, accountability, and healing. Her interests center on how psychological, social, and environmental factors shape risk and resilience among justice-involved youth. Through her work with the Risk-Resilience Research Lab, Melissa hopes to contribute to prevention-focused, community-centered research. She plans to pursue graduate training in forensic psychology and work with justice-involved populations to support rehabilitation.

Nancy Vu

Student Research Assistant

Nancy Vu

Student Research Assistant

Nancy is a senior at the University of California, Berkeley, majoring in Economics. She is passionate about advancing health equity and exploring how social, cultural, and economic factors shape health outcomes across communities. She is particularly committed to supporting youth wellbeing and addressing disparities in healthcare delivery. Nancy intends to pursue a career in medicine where she can integrate clinical practice, research, and advocacy to promote holistic and inclusive care.

Pearl Chen 

Student Research Assistant

Pearl Chen 

Student Research Assistant

Pearl Chen is a third-year student at UC Berkeley, majoring in Psychology and Public Health. She is interested in mental health equity and how cultural, structural, and systemic factors shape well-being across communities. Her research interests lie at the intersection of clinical and developmental psychology, with a focus on how children and adolescents develop in the context of changing social environments, including the influence of technology and shifting cultural dynamics. Pearl is especially passionate about improving access to therapy and mental health care for underserved populations. In the future, she hopes to pursue a PhD in clinical and developmental psychology. 

Ronnie Wang

Student Research Assistant

Ronnie Wang

Student Research Assistant

Ronnie is a third year undergraduate student at UC Berkeley pursuing dual degrees in Social Welfare and Legal Studies. Her areas of interest include child protective services reform, anti-trafficking measures, and trauma-informed care. Her long-term professional goal is to serve vulnerable populations and help them thrive by utilizing research-based strategies from social welfare, psychology, transformative justice, the power of community, and compassion. Ronnie has experience working with elementary and middle school students, as well as youth and adults with disabilities. She looks forward to continuing her legacy of serving and fighting for those who may not have the ability to advocate and protect themselves.

Sara Faiyaz

Student Research Assistant

Sara Faiyaz

Student Research Assistant

Sara is a fourth year student at the University of California, Berkeley, double majoring in Political Science and Social Welfare with a minor in Human Rights. She is deeply interested in the intersection of law, policy, and social justice, with a particular focus on dismantling systemic disparities within the criminal legal system. Her interest in justice reform was deeply shaped by her experience working within the juvenile justice system, where she witnessed firsthand the structural barriers that system-involved youth face. She hopes to go to graduate school to pursue a higher degree in Criminology or Social Welfare with the goal of advancing research-informed policies that center rehabilitation, equity, and long-term opportunity for all.

Shalini Sathi

Student Research Assistant

Shalini Sathi

Student Research Assistant

Shalini is a sophomore at the University of California, Berkeley, pursuing a major in Public Health with a minor in the Educational Sciences. She is passionate about the impacts of socioeconomic status on health; specifically, she is interested in tailoring clinic curricula to meet patient needs. Shalini hopes to further understand the intersection between developmental psychology and health outcomes. 

Stephanie Samson

Research Assistant

Stephanie Samson

Research Assistant

Stephanie is a recent graduate from the University of California, Santa Barbara, with a Bachelor of Science in Psychological and Brain Sciences. She is deeply passionate about enhancing the role of internet usage in pedagogy and exploring the neural mechanisms underlying spatial cognition in both virtual and physical environments. Driven by an interest in the ethical implications of AI in cognitive science research, Stephanie aspires to work in the intersection of strategic analytics and human-factors psychology.

Tala Aljoubori

Student Research Assistant

Tala Aljoubori

Student Research Assistant

Tala is a 2nd year student pursuing a degree in Public Health at the University of California, Berkeley. As a first-generation refugee from Iraq, she is passionate about Global Health advocacy and discussing policies impacting access to health resources and equipment for underserved communities worldwide. She is inspired by the experiences of her family to research the impacts of sociopolitical and economic inequalities on youth communities – focusing on how it impacts their overall developmental health and risk for chronic illnesses. She intends to pursue an MD/MPH degree and become an expert physician who can better advocate for Global Healthcare Reform.

Wondeok Seo

Ph D. Student

Wondeok Seo

Ph D. Student

Wondeok Seo is a first-year Ph.D. student at the Goldman School of Public Policy. His research interests include (a) the effects of punitive criminal justice policies on crime prevention and recidivism, (b) the socioeconomic determinants of depression and suicide, and (c) statistical methods for demographic analysis and program evaluation related to these topics. Before attending UC Berkeley, Wondeok earned a B.A. in Political Science and Economics from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, with a minor in Applied Mathematics and Statistics. Through a dual-degree program, he also studied Public Administration and Economics at the University of Seoul. After completing his military service in South Korea, he received a Master of Policy Analysis from Korea University.

Recent Alumni & Affiliates

Jaclyn Chambers

Research Associate

Jaclyn Chambers

Research Associate

Jaclyn Chambers is a research associate in the Center on Labor, Human Services, and Population at the Urban Institute. Her research focuses on child welfare, with a particular emphasis on program evaluation and administrative data analysis. Before joining Urban, she completed her doctoral studies at the University of California, Berkeley, where she was a graduate student researcher with the California Child Welfare Indicators Project. Her dissertation examining the impact of child welfare system experiences on juvenile justice involvement was funded by the National Institute of Justice. She was previously a research coordinator at the Treatment Research Institute, where she managed multiple federally funded randomized controlled trials focused on substance abuse treatment. Her work has been published in Child Maltreatment, Child Abuse & Neglect, and the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, among others.

Leah Jacobs

Associate Professor

Leah Jacobs

Associate Professor

Dr. Leah Jacobs is an Associate Professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work. Dr. Jacobs’ scholarship is at the intersection of social welfare, criminal legal, and community mental health policy and intervention. She breaks with analytic tradition that situates crime and disorder as products of either individual pathology or sociostructural forces and that siloes social welfare policy and intervention from criminal legal policy and intervention. Instead, she thinks about problems of crime and disorder as products of the interaction between social structure and individual circumstance and as relevant to social welfare and criminal legal systems. Her empirical work has investigated the role of neighborhood contexts, homelessness, community mental health services, and individual-level criminal risk factors in shaping outcomes for legal system-involved people. She is currently conducting two experiments to test interventions that seek to prevent criminal legal system involvement by reducing negative interactions between police and youth and by building collective efficacy to intervene in community conflict. Dr. Jacobs is also a former case manager, program planner and evaluator, and community organizer. She holds a BS in Psychology from Northeastern University, a dual MA in Policy and Planning and Child Development from Tufts University, and an MSW and PhD in Social Welfare from the University of California- Berkeley. Dr. Jacobs welcomes prospective students, students and community members interested in research and anti-carceral social work and advocacy to contact her.

Luyi Jian

Assistant Professor

Luyi Jian

Assistant Professor

Luyi Jian is an Assistant Professor in the School of Criminal Justice at the State University of New York. Her work involves three interrelated areas: (a) understanding behavioral change mechanisms among youth to promote more prosocial engagement; (b) exploring strength-based interventions and services for justice-involved youth; and (c) using data science to analyze the impact of justice policies on individuals and families. Luyi holds a PhD from the University of California, Berkeley. Her training and research have been funded by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services’ Administration for Children & Families through the Behavioral Interventions Scholar program, and by the National Science Foundation through the Computational Research for Equity in the Legal System program.

Lina Montoya

Assistant Professor

Lina Montoya

Assistant Professor

Dr. Lina Montoya is an Assistant Professor in the School of Data Science and Society at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, with a joint appointment in the Department of Biostatistics at the Gillings School of Global Public Health. Her methodological research focuses on questions in causal inference, in particular within the field of precision medicine, motivated by applications in the U.S. criminal legal system and HIV care adherence in sub-Saharan Africa. Currently, her research interests involve 1) uncovering treatment effect heterogeneity and 2) estimating, evaluating, and implementing (optimal) dynamic treatment regimes in the presence of such heterogeneity.

Perman Gochyyev

Adjunct Lecturer

Perman Gochyyev

Adjunct Lecturer

Perman Gochyyev is an adjunct lecturer at UC Berkeley and a statistical project leader at Sanofi. His research lies at the intersection of biostatistics and psychometrics, and he has published extensively on clinical outcome assessments, patient-reported outcomes, survey methodology, and causal inference. Perman received his PhD in Quantitative Methods and Evaluation from UC Berkeley in 2015.

Stephania Hayes

Assistant Professor

Stephania Hayes

Assistant Professor

Dr. Stephania Hayes is an Assistant Professor at UC Davis Health. Dr. Hayes received her Ph.D. in Social Welfare from UC Berkeley, where her dissertation examined occupational stress in a large sample of peer support specialists across the US. Her prior work spans the areas coercive mental health treatment, apprehension toward clinical care, administration of consumer-driven mental health programs, and body-focused repetitive behaviors. She has methodological interests in measure development, utilization of large administrative datasets, and increasing accessibility of scientific findings to benefit general audiences. Dr. Hayes completed clinical training and her M.A. in Occupational Therapy at the University of Southern California, with field rotations on an Assertive Community Treatment team and an inpatient psychiatric unit for patients with complex medical needs. As a Certified Peer Support Specialist, she directed an innovative community program which blended creative arts and mental health recovery-oriented education for diverse groups throughout Riverside County. At UC Davis, she has enjoyed building on this mix of experiences. Now an Assistant Professor and member of the Training and Technical Assistance (TTA) and Learning Health Care Network (LHCN) Programs, Dr. Hayes leads the Lived Experience Integration Team which works to center the perspectives of service users in all aspects of research and practice in the EPI-CAL network. Her current research uses state-level health utilization data to estimate incidence of early psychosis and need for services across California. Dr. Hayes also mentors peer support providers at the EDAPT and SacEDAPT clinics.

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