Yasmiyn Irizarry

Dr. Yasmiyn Irizarry serves as Associate Professor in the Department of African and African Diaspora Studies at The University of Texas at Austin (College of Liberal Arts) and as Associate Director of the Institute for Urban Policy Research & Analysis. She founded the Numbers 4 Justice Lab to advance racial equity through quantitative methods.

Education

• Bachelor's degree from The Ohio State University
• Master's and Doctorate in Sociology from Indiana University

Research Focus

As a leading QuantCrit (critical quantitative methods) scholar, Dr. Irizarry examines race and racism across four interconnected domains: K-16 schooling contexts; categorization, identity, and ascription; social attitudes, prejudice, and discrimination; and justice, marginalization, and social control. Her work employs an intersectional framework analyzing race, ethnicity, immigration, class, and place within systems of power, with particular emphasis on Black women's experiences and census data methodologies.

Publication Trends

Her recent publications (2021-2025) demonstrate consistent focus on police violence against Black women, critical quantitative methodologies in education, and reexamination of racial categories in US Census data. Key themes include mental health impacts of racial profiling, race-shifting in demographic data, and racialized dynamics in STEM education and school safety, reflecting her commitment to transforming quantitative research through critical race perspectives.

Research Funding

• National Science Foundation (current projects on school safety, STEM education, and population policies)
• Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (revising OMB race/ethnicity standards)
• Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (past)
• Ford Foundation (past)
• American Educational Research Association (past)

Academic Leadership

Dr. Irizarry directs the Numbers 4 Justice Lab, which develops and applies quantitative tools to address racial inequities. She teaches graduate courses including Theories of Race/Ethnicity and Sociology of Education across multiple departments (AFR, SOC, WGS), emphasizing critical approaches to quantitative research in racial justice contexts.