معرفی
Cynthia Willis-Esqueda is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, with a joint appointment in the Institute for Ethnic Studies and affiliation in Latino and Latin American Studies. She has held these roles since 1991, contributing to both the Psychology/Law Program and Social Psychology Program. Her research focuses on race and ethnic bias, particularly against Indigenous populations, examining individual, cultural, and structural levels of bias affecting legal processes, health, and societal outcomes.
Education: Ph.D. in Social Psychology from the University of Kansas.
Research Interests: Dr. Willis-Esqueda’s work explores motivations and cognitive processes behind racial bias, including internalized stigma, stereotypes, and systemic inequalities. Her lab, the Race and Ethnic Psychology Lab, investigates topics like jury decision-making disparities, legal outcomes for Indigenous communities, and the intersection of immigration status with legal judgments. She emphasizes the impact of bias across legal, health, and cultural systems.
Teaching: She teaches graduate courses in social psychology foundations, race/ethnicity psychology, and undergraduate courses on racism and immigration psychology. Her pedagogy integrates theoretical frameworks with contemporary issues in diversity and justice.
Service: She chairs the Sarata Diversity Enhancement Committee, advises the Diversity Graduate Minor, and administers the Levine Diversity Research Award. She serves on the Office of Minority Health’s Health Disparities Committee and represents Nebraska in the Midwestern Psychological Association. Previously, she coordinated Native American Studies (1997–2005).
Labs/Teams: Directs the Race and Ethnic Psychology Lab, fostering collaborative research on bias mitigation and cultural competency in legal and health systems.
