I have translated developmental evidence into juvenile confinement facility contexts. Additionally, I investigated barriers youth and families face in maintaining contact while youth are in custody, how facilities may promote family engagement, and worked with a state justice agency to understand employee turnover. 

I have supervised and coached student researchers on projects related to youth behavior and staff safety in confinement facilities and staff behavior. 

Funding for some of this work has come from the Annie E. Casey Foundation and Center for Improving Youth Justice.  

In this work, I have focused on how psychological science engages with public policy, informs the perception of policy initiatives, and provided recommendations for putting psychological evidence into action with specific policy issues.

Additionally, I have sought to understand how expected developmental tasks, like developing friendships, are influenced by justice system involvement and patterns of expectations and behavior among youth who commit serious offenses. These works can help stakeholders craft interventions that minimize risks and maximize benefits for developing adolescents

Funded by an NSF EAGER award, I explored how to improve the quality and reduce the burden of creating publicly accessible research data by focusing on the researchers who reuse and/or share data. 

I am interested in ways to improve higher education for students and educators alike, particularly to be more equitable.  

Selected for the competitive Nielsen Center for the Liberal Arts Early Career Workshop, I have workshopped with other faculty and administrators on these topics.