Paul Sterzing

Paul Sterzing is an Associate Professor at the University of California, Berkeley, School of Social Welfare, with faculty affiliations in the Gender and Women's Studies Department. His research focuses on adolescent violence, bullying, and victimization among marginalized populations, including autistic youth and sexual/gender minority adolescents.

• Education: PhD from Brown School of Social Work, Washington University in St. Louis
• Affiliations: Co-Director of the Center for Prevention Research in Social Welfare

Dr. Sterzing’s work examines bullying correlates for autistic youth, polyvictimization rates in LGBTQ+ adolescents, trauma mechanisms linking familial and extrafamilial victimization, and intersectional microaggressions. His 2012 study in Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine revealed that 37.4% of autistic youth experience victimization, spurring national media coverage.

His SpeakOut study (funded by National Institute of Justice) identified polyvictimization rates twice as high for sexual/gender minority adolescents compared to national averages. Research trends emphasize trauma-informed interventions, social integration, and systemic equity for neurodivergent and LGBTQ+ youth.

• Funding: National Institute of Justice (SpeakOut study)
• Lab: Center for Prevention Research in Social Welfare