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services for people with mental illness, to a qualitative study on probationers’ experiences when adult fees were repealed.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

Adriana Ho

Data Assistant

Adriana Ho

Data 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.

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.

Allie Brandl

Senior Research Assistant

Allie Brandl

Senior Research Assistant

Allie (she/her) studied psychology during her undergraduate degree program and received an MA in research and evaluation methods with a focus in applied measurement. Allie’s research interests center around the development, implementation, and evaluation of school- and community-based interventions targeting underserved youth. Through this line of research, Allie hopes to increase access to relevant, effective mental and behavioral health services for children and adolescents. In the future, she intends to further pursue these research interests at the PhD level.

Amara Lopez

Student Research Assistant

Amara Lopez

Student Research Assistant

Amara is a 3rd-year undergraduate transfer student at the University of California, Berkeley, majoring in Psychology and minoring in Chicanx studies. She plans to get a graduate degree in Social Welfare and work directly with system-impacted people and in communities experiencing high rates of violence. She is interested in youth risk and prevention, lowering youth recidivism and juvenile justice involvement; culturally inclusive mental health and suicide prevention for LGBTQ+ minority youth; neurodiversity (ADHD/ASD) and mental health outcomes; and the intersection of race, sexuality, gender identity, and psychological well-being.

Ava Reyes

Student Research Assistant

Ava Reyes

Student Research Assistant

Ava Reyes is a fourth-year undergraduate student at the University of California, Berkeley, double majoring in Political Science and Rhetoric. Her research interests center on the intersection of law, political institutions, and criminal justice reform. Her interests have also been informed by prior experience in legal and local government settings, where she saw how institutional processes can profoundly affect individuals and communities. In the future, Ava hopes to work in politics and contribute to legislation that makes the legal system more transparent and equitable.

Bella Dailo

Student Research Assistant

Bella Dailo

Student Research Assistant

Bella is a third-year undergraduate student at the University of California-Berkeley, majoring in Psychology. She is interested in developmental psychology, neurodivergence, and understanding mental health in youth. She works as a child's gymnastics instructor for ages 3-12, often leading classes and camps and working closely with children. After graduating from Cal, she plans to pursue PA school, hoping to specialize in pediatrics

Bella Rodriguez

Student Research Assistant

Bella Rodriguez

Student Research Assistant

Bella is a third year at the University of California, Berkeley, studying Media Studies with a concentration in law and policy. She is interested in online digital protection and uses her love of journalism and investigative skills to learn more about educational inequality and the digital divide. She is also curious about how news shapes public perception and how racial and social biases in coverage can create fear and influence the legal system. Through her work at the Risk Resilience Lab, she hopes to learn more about risk assessment tools and explore deeper issues within the justice system. In the future, she hopes to obtain a law degree and work in media law and civil rights.

Brianna Gonzalez

Student Research Assistant

Brianna Gonzalez

Student Research Assistant

Brianna is a first-generation third-year student at the University of California, Berkeley, majoring in Psychology. She is interested in making a positive impact in marginalized communities and is passionate about public health issues, such as mental health. In the future, she would like to work in an environment that focuses on research and finding solutions to ensure that communities receive proper care and resources.

Brianna Vasquez

Student Research Assistant

Brianna Vasquez

Student Research Assistant

Brianna Vasquez (she/her) is a rising senior at UC Berkeley, double-majoring in English and Legal Studies. She is passionate about public interest law, immigration, civil rights, and education equity, and is committed to expanding access to justice and opportunity for underserved communities. After graduating, she hopes to attend law school or get her masters in public policy and build a career advocating for immigrants and equal access to education.

Dylan Gomez

Student Research Assistant

Dylan Gomez

Student Research Assistant

Dylan is a third-year transfer student at the University of California, Berkeley, majoring in Sociology. His research interests center on medical sociology, particularly the social determinants of health and structural inequalities in the medical system. After completing his undergraduate education, Dylan plans to pursue an MD/PhD in Medical Sociology.

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.

Hanna Lee

Student Research Assistant

Hanna Lee

Student Research Assistant

Hanna is a first-year undergraduate at the University of California, Berkeley, majoring in Cognitive Science. Her interests lie at the intersection of neuroscience, psychology, and criminology, particularly the biological and neurodevelopmental factors underlying aggression, psychopathy, and antisocial behavior. She hopes to explore how brain development and social environments interact to shape criminal behavior and use this knowledge to develop compassionate, evidence-based interventions that address its underlying causes, support rehabilitation, and promote healing rather than punishment alone.

JaVon Hampton 

Lead Training Assistant

JaVon Hampton 

Lead Training 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. 

John Pakyurek

Student Research Assistant

John Pakyurek

Student Research Assistant

John Pakyurek is a fourth-year undergraduate student at the University of California, Berkeley, pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with a minor in History. His research at the RIsk-Resilience Research Lab centers on qualitative coding to determine the efficacy of structured decision-making frameworks in California Board of Parole hearings. John’s other academic interests include rebel governance, human rights, and formal approaches to qualitative analysis. After completing his undergraduate degree, John hopes to pursue a Ph.D. in Political Science and a career in academia.

Joycelyn Golchin

Student Research Assistant

Joycelyn Golchin

Student Research Assistant

Joycelyn is an undergraduate at the University of California, Berkeley, majoring in Legal Studies with a minor in Public Policy. She is interested in data privacy and the role of emerging technologies, including AI, in shaping children's development. Passionate about protecting youth as they engage with digital platforms, Joycelyn aspires to work at the intersection of privacy law and technology policy. She plans to pursue a law degree to build a career advocating for children's privacy and well-being in the digital world.

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.

Kelly Yu

Student Research Assistant

Kelly Yu

Student Research Assistant

Kelly (she/her) is a fourth year undergraduate student at UC Berkeley, majoring in Molecular and Cell Biology. She is deeply passionate about addressing structural disparities that impact access to resources and opportunities within diverse communities, with a focus on the role of early intervention in reducing these barriers. Outside of the lab, Kelly has furthered this interest through volunteering at free vision screenings and tutoring disadvantaged students at the YMCA. In the future, she hopes to pursue a career in ophthalmology focused on improving health literacy in rural and underserved communities.

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.

Linda Galindo

Student Research Assistant

Linda Galindo

Student Research Assistant

Linda is a third-year student at the University of California, Berkeley, double majoring in Social Welfare and Legal Studies. She is interested in how access to culturally responsive health services can be used to improve mental health care and reduce inequities. She is especially passionate about providing support to youth and works with Matriculate to provide free advising to low-income students across the country. Linda intends to pursue a graduate degree in Social Welfare with a concentration in Health and Mental Health and hopes to become a Licensed Medical Social Worker.

Mary Hayford

Ph D. Student

Mary Hayford

Ph D. Student

Mary Hayford is a PhD student at the Goldman School of Public Policy. Her primary research interests include understanding how contact with the criminal legal system impacts long-term economic and social outcomes for individuals and communities. Relatedly, she is interested in researching how targeted policy interventions across the criminal justice continuum can reduce inequities and expand opportunity. Before beginning her PhD, Mary was a Policy Analyst in the Justice Policy Center at the Urban Institute, where she worked on research and policy projects focused on living conditions in jails and prisons, youth justice, and reentry. Prior to working in social policy research, Mary worked as an associate in the Antitrust and Competition practice at Charles River Associates. Mary holds a BA in Economics and Public Policy from the University of Chicago.

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.

Niamh Keane

Research Assistant

Niamh Keane

Research Assistant

Niamh studied Psychology at the University of Limerick, Ireland, before completing her Master’s in Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology at Utrecht University in the Netherlands. She has spent the past five years working as a school psychologist and behaviour support practitioner in the Netherlands, and Australia. Niamh is passionate about the intersection of mental health and social justice. She hopes to pursue a PhD in Clinical Psychology in the future.

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. 

Raphael Aseron

Student Research Assistant

Raphael Aseron

Student Research Assistant

Raphael is a second-year student at the University of California, Berkeley, studying Psychology and Public Health while minoring in Clinical and Counseling Psychology. He is deeply passionate about clinical psychology particularly in pediatric psychology. He is drawn to understanding how young people navigate through their well-being, especially as they grow within families, schools, and communities that influence their development. His research interests center on creating approaches to support youth mental health. Looking ahead, he hopes to pursue a PhD in Clinical Psychology where he plans to work in a pediatric clinical setting.

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. 

Tala Aljoubori

Student Research Assistant

Tala Aljoubori

Student Research Assistant

Tala is a 2nd year student pursuing a degree in Applied Math at the University of California, Berkeley. She has an interest of bridging qualitative and quantitative research for action. She is building towards an MD/PhD program post-graduation.

Tanvi Rao

Digital Communications Assistant

Tanvi Rao

Digital Communications Assistant

Tanvi is a third-year student at UC Berkeley, majoring in Economics and Media Studies. She is passionate about using media and marketing to engage communities and create change. Professionally, she's interested in bringing together digital marketing, storytelling, and campaign strategy in order to further community-centered initiatives.

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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