Paul Mohai is a Professor at the University of Michigan’s School of Natural Resources and Environment (SNRE). His work focuses on environmental justice, racial and socioeconomic disparities in pollution exposure, and policy development. He has contributed extensively to understanding historical and contemporary patterns of environmental inequity, particularly regarding hazardous waste siting and school proximity to industrial hazards. Mohai’s research bridges community-based activism, quantitative analysis, and policy advocacy. Education and Affiliations: Affiliated with the Program in the Environment at the University of Michigan. Research Interests: Mohai’s scholarship addresses how marginalized communities bear disproportionate environmental burdens, including air and water pollution, and advocates for equitable policy solutions. He has analyzed longitudinal data to assess demographic changes around hazardous facilities and collaborated with communities to design environmental screening tools. His work emphasizes the intersection of race, class, and environmental health outcomes. Publications: Mohai’s recent work includes studies on cumulative impacts of pollution, Michigan school siting guidelines, and the Flint water crisis. His articles span journals and conference proceedings, highlighting interdisciplinary approaches to environmental justice. Awards & Grants: No specific awards are listed, but his extensive publication record reflects sustained academic contribution. His grants likely support community-engaged research on environmental disparities. Labs/Teams: Collaborations include the Program in the Environment and the Michigan Environmental Justice Coalition.
Louis S. Rulli is the Shuster Practice Professor of Law and Director of the Civil Practice Clinic and Legislative Clinic at Penn Carey Law School, University of Pennsylvania. He is a leading expert in public interest law, clinical legal education, legislation, and civil asset forfeiture, with a strong commitment to access to justice for low-income individuals. His research focuses on civil forfeiture reform, legal ethics, and the rights of indigent clients. He has written extensively on how civil asset forfeiture disproportionately impacts marginalized communities and has advocated for legal reforms to protect innocent property owners. His work emphasizes the need for legal representation in civil proceedings and the expansion of pro bono services. The 15 most recent publications highlight a consistent scholarly focus on civil forfeiture, access to justice, legal ethics, and public interest lawyering. These works span law reviews, policy testimony, and public advocacy, reflecting a career dedicated to legal reform and clinical education. Key themes include the abuse of civil forfeiture, the need for counsel in civil cases, and systemic barriers to justice for the poor. University-wide Provost’s Award for Distinguished Teaching (2006) Penn Carey Law’s Beacon Award for exemplary faculty commitment to pro bono service (2012) Community Legal Services’ Champion of Justice Award (2012) Villanova University’s Praxis Award in Professional Ethics (2015) AALS Father Robert Drinan Award (2019) Pennsylvania Bar Foundation’s Lifetime Achievement Award Rulli has supervised numerous law students through clinical programs, training them to represent indigent clients in civil forfeiture and legislative advocacy. He has also advised on policy initiatives, served on judicial ethics committees, and contributed to legislative reform efforts. His leadership in legal services governance includes past roles with Community Legal Services, Philadelphia Legal Assistance, and the Women’s Law Project. He currently serves as Hearing Officer for the City of Philadelphia’s Board of Ethics and Access to Justice Advisor to the Philadelphia Bar Association. He has directed clinical programs at Penn Law for over two decades, overseeing student representation in civil forfeiture cases, which has been featured in national media such as The New Yorker . His work bridges legal scholarship, clinical teaching, and public policy, making a significant impact on both legal education and justice reform.
Nico Trocmé is the Philip Fisher Chair in Social Work and Director of the School of Social Work at McGill University. He holds a PhD and MSW from the University of Toronto and has over 30 years of leadership in child welfare research, policy, and practice. His work focuses on child abuse/neglect, First Nations service collaboration, and systemic inequities in child protection systems. Education: PhD, University of Toronto (1992) MSW, University of Toronto (1983) Bachelor of Arts (Philosophy), University of Toronto (1981) Affiliations: Director, School of Social Work (2014–2023) Adjunct Professor, Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto (2005–2020) Scientific Director, Centre of Excellence for Child Welfare (2000–2008) His research spans national child maltreatment studies (e.g., Canadian Incidence Studies), First Nations partnership initiatives, and policy development. Key areas include socioeconomic disparities in child protection, trauma-informed care, and culturally responsive services for Indigenous communities. He has authored over 230 peer-reviewed publications and led grants totaling $14.3 million. Recent work emphasizes reducing overrepresentation of Indigenous children in systems and addressing mental health inequities. Awards include Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada (2017) and the SSHRC Impact Award (2014). Grants & Projects: Co-developing evaluation mechanisms for Indigenous child welfare (2024–2030) Pan-Canadian Child Welfare Administrative Data Project (2020–2025) Ontario Incidence Study of Child Abuse (2023–2025) Labs/Teams: Canadian Child Welfare Research Portal (cwrp.ca) Centre for Research on Children and Families (McGill) International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (ISPCAN)
Sheila R. Foster is a tenured Professor of Climate at the Columbia Climate School and an affiliated faculty member at Columbia Law School. Her research focuses on environmental and climate justice, innovative resource governance, land use policy, and the role of local governments in addressing global challenges. She holds a J.D. from UC Berkeley and a B.A. (English, Honors) from the University of Michigan. Foster co-directs LabGov, pioneering the 'co-city' approach to urban challenges, and has authored influential books like Co-Cities and From the Ground Up . She serves on the New York City Panel on Climate Change and the Environmental Justice Advisory Board, and has been recognized with awards including the ACOEL Fellowship and the IUCN Senior Scholar Award. Education: J.D., University of California, Berkeley B.S., University of Michigan (English, Honors) Research Interests: Environmental Justice, Climate Justice, Urban Policy, Land Use, Subnational Governance, and the Co-City Model. Foster’s work emphasizes equitable urban solutions through community collaboration and policy innovation, particularly in marginalized communities. Key Contributions: LabGov’s co-city model has been applied globally to foster inclusive urban development. Her recent work advances climate justice in NYC’s adaptation strategies and explores micropolitan urban-rural linkages. She co-edits the Journal of Climate Resilience & Climate Justice and advises global networks like the Global Parliament of Mayors. Awards & Honors: ACOEL Fellow (2024) American Bar Foundation Fellow (2024) Prose Award (2023) for Co-Cities IUCN Senior Scholar Award (2018) Grants & Advising: Collaborates with local governments, federal agencies, and international bodies. Advises on climate displacement, equity in urban resilience, and global mayoral networks. Previously taught at Georgetown and Fordham Universities, holding roles such as Scott K. Ginsburg Professor of Urban Law and Policy. Labs & Teams: Co-directs LabGov, a research lab advancing urban commons and equitable governance. Partners with organizations to operationalize the co-city framework in cities worldwide.
Destenie Nock is an Assistant Professor in Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) and Engineering and Public Policy (EPP) at Carnegie Mellon University. Her research focuses on energy justice, sustainable energy transitions, and equitable infrastructure planning. She develops mathematical models to address societal challenges in energy systems, particularly for vulnerable communities. Nock co-founded Peoples Energy Analytics , using algorithms to identify energy poverty and connect households with assistance programs. Education: PhD in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research (UMass Amherst, 2019); BS in Electrical Engineering and Applied Mathematics (North Carolina A&T State University). Research Interests: Energy equity, decarbonization impacts, transportation electrification, and policy analysis. She investigates how energy systems disproportionately affect marginalized groups and designs solutions to mitigate disparities. Awards: 2024 Science Defender (Union of Concerned Scientists), 2025 Outstanding Alumni Award (UMass Amherst). Grants & Funding: Six National Science Foundation grants, Sloan Foundation, and EPA support for projects on energy justice and equity metrics. Labs/Teams: Leads research groups in energy modeling and policy at CMU, collaborating with utilities and policymakers to implement equitable energy solutions.
Alexandra Cox is an Associate Professor of Criminology at the University of Reading, serving as Programme Director for the BSc in Criminology. She holds a Ph.D. in Criminology from the University of Cambridge and a Yale undergraduate degree. Previously, she was a Senior Lecturer at the University of Essex, Assistant Professor at SUNY New Paltz, and Research Scholar at Yale Law School. Her research focuses on socio-legal dynamics of punitiveness, criminal justice institutions, youth justice, and racial inequities. She has authored/co-edited books like Trapped in a Vice and The Palgrave International Handbook of Youth Imprisonment , and her work has been published in journals such as Punishment and Society and Social & Legal Studies . Dr. Cox collaborates with organizations like Reprieve, the Howard League, and the Centre for Justice Innovation on projects addressing race and criminal justice policy. She has received awards including the American Society of Criminology Book Award and fellowships from the Gates Cambridge Trust and Soros Justice Advocacy. Her research emphasizes intersectional analysis, decarceration strategies, and the impact of systemic racism within criminal justice systems. Her recent publications explore topics such as Black fatherhood in youth justice, probation officer perspectives on systemic legitimacy, and racial disparities in youth diversion programs. She actively advises Ph.D. students researching criminological and socio-legal issues, with a focus on frontline workers, juvenile confinement, and racial justice.
Damani White-Lewis is an Assistant Professor of Higher Education at the University of Pennsylvania's Graduate School of Education (Penn GSE). His research focuses on racial inequality in academic careers, leveraging organizational behavior and social psychology frameworks. He examines mechanisms driving inequity in faculty hiring, promotion, retention, and the disproportionate DEI labor assigned to racially minoritized faculty. His work is funded by NIH and NSF, and has appeared in leading journals like Journal of Higher Education and American Educational Research Journal . Key projects include ethnographic studies on faculty hiring inequities, an NSF-funded examination of DEI work in tenure evaluations, and COACHE data analysis on faculty retention. He has received awards including the 2020 Outstanding Dissertation Award and recognition from multiple academic associations. As a public scholar, he advises institutions on systemic change, equity strategies, and DEI initiatives, frequently featured in Inside Higher Ed and Diverse: Issues in Higher Education . His research emphasizes actionable interventions to improve academic workforce equity, including rubric-based hiring, mentorship frameworks, and institutional policy reforms. He collaborates with universities and organizations to translate research into practice, addressing structural barriers in higher education systems.
Professor Carla Laroche is a faculty member at the School of Law, Washington and Lee University . She specializes in legal and social justice issues, particularly focusing on the intersection of criminal law and civil rights. Her notable recent work includes an analysis of voter suppression mechanisms affecting Black women in the United States. Research Focus: Laroche’s research explores systemic disenfranchisement through felony disenfranchisement laws, emphasizing how racism, sexism, and criminal convictions disproportionately impact Black women’s electoral participation. Her 2023 publication in the Boston University Law Review highlights the growing incarceration rates of Black women as a critical barrier to voting rights. Publications: Her 2023 article investigates structural inequalities in civic engagement, reflecting her commitment to racial and gender justice advocacy.
Mimi (Paulomi) Bhatt, PhD, MPH, CNM, is an Assistant Professor at NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing. She is a certified nurse-midwife, researcher, educator, and theorist whose work centers on birth equity, reproductive justice, and the integration of midwifery care in public health systems. She actively provides clinical care within NYC Health + Hospitals and contributes to national and global maternal health policy. PhD in Nursing Theory, NYU Meyers College of Nursing MSN, Frontier Nursing University MPH in Global Health Leadership, NYU Global Institute of Public Health BSN, NYU Steinhardt School of Education BA in Comparative Literature and English Education, NYU College of Arts & Science Dr. Bhatt’s research is grounded in critical feminist theory and qualitative methodologies. Her work investigates how midwifery models can advance health equity, particularly for Black, Indigenous, and other minoritized communities. She explores themes such as autonomy in childbirth, respectful maternity care, perinatal mental health, and systemic barriers faced by midwives of color. Her scholarship emphasizes anti-oppression frameworks and community-based participatory research. Her recent publications analyze experiential outcomes in maternity care, revealing that midwife-led care—especially in community settings—leads to higher autonomy, respect, and lower mistreatment. She has also published on the experiences of sexual and gender-diverse parents, cervical cancer screening in the Dominican Republic, and midwifery integration in India. Her work consistently highlights structural inequities and advocates for transformative change in maternal health systems. Scientific awards and honors include: NYU University-wide Dissertation Award – Allied Health & Social Services (2020) Jonas Nurse Leaders Scholar Award (multiple years) Johnson & Johnson Minority Faculty Nurse Scholar Award (multiple years) Herman Biggs Health Policy Fellow Women’s Leadership Initiative at NYU Dr. Bhatt mentors future nurse-midwives and contributes to policy through service on the NYC Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Review Committee and the International Confederation of Midwives’ Americas Regional Committee. She received postdoctoral training at the Birth Place Lab, University of British Columbia, and as a Provost Postdoctoral Fellow at NYU. Her clinical and academic work is deeply informed by her identity as a first-generation immigrant and her mother’s legacy as a nurse-midwife in India. She is affiliated with the Birth Place Lab and collaborates with multidisciplinary teams focused on respectful maternity care, midwifery practice climate, and global maternal health capacity building.
Dr. Kevin Gee is a Professor in the School of Education at the University of California, Davis, specializing in the School Organization & Educational Policy emphasis area. He serves as Director of the School Policy, Research, and Action (SPARC) Center and is a Faculty Research Affiliate with the Center for Poverty & Inequality Research. As a 2020-25 Chancellor's Fellow, Dr. Gee leads research initiatives focused on vulnerable youth populations and educational policy impacts. His work bridges education, public health, and social welfare systems to address structural inequities affecting children's development and academic success. Dr. Gee's educational background includes: Ed.D., Harvard Graduate School of Education, Quantitative Policy Analysis in Education (2010) Ed.M., Harvard Graduate School of Education, International Education Policy (2006) M.P.I.A., University of California, San Diego, Pacific & International Affairs (cum laude, 2004) B.A., University of California, Berkeley, City & Regional Planning (magna cum laude, 1994) Dr. Gee's research centers on the critical intersection between health and education systems, examining how schooling can influence children's well-being. He investigates policies addressing adverse childhood experiences including bullying, food insecurity, abuse, and neglect. His work employs rigorous quantitative methods including Hierarchical Linear Modeling, longitudinal analysis, and experimental/quasi-experimental designs. Dr. Gee focuses particularly on vulnerable populations such as children with disabilities, Asian American and Pacific Islander youth, and those involved in the child welfare system, seeking data-driven solutions to educational inequities. Analysis of Dr. Gee's recent publications reveals a strong focus on educational equity, with particular attention to vulnerable student populations. His work spans school absenteeism patterns, bullying and hate speech against AAPI youth, food insecurity impacts, and health-related educational outcomes. The research demonstrates increasing interdisciplinary collaboration, particularly with public health researchers, and shows a growing emphasis on pandemic-related educational disruptions and their disproportionate impacts on marginalized communities. Dr. Gee's notable scientific awards include: National Academy of Education (NAEd)/Spencer Postdoctoral Fellowship (2015) Foundation for Child Development (FCD) Young Scholars Program Award (2014-2017) UC Davis Hellman Fellowship (2015-2016) Chancellor's Fellowship (2020-2021) Outstanding Faculty Award, Asian Pacific American UC-Systemwide Alliance (2023) Distinguished Visiting Scholar, Advanced Research Collaborative, CUNY (2022) Dr. Gee serves as Principal Investigator for multiple significant grants, including the Heising-Simons Foundation project on districtwide family engagement strategies and chronic absenteeism (2024-2026), and the UC Davis SEED funding for research on how Asian American and Pacific Islander youth confront bullying. He also serves as Co-Investigator on the AAPI Data Grant examining school climate influences on bullying experiences. His grant portfolio demonstrates strong interdisciplinary collaboration, particularly between education and public health researchers, with a consistent focus on generating actionable insights for educational policymakers and practitioners. As Director of the School Policy, Research, and Action (SPARC) Center at UC Davis, Dr. Gee leads a research team focused on generating data-informed insights about underserved and overlooked youth in educational policy. The center's work specifically supports Asian American and Pacific Islander youth who have experienced bullying, children with chronic absenteeism, and child welfare-involved youth who have experienced maltreatment. The SPARC Center collaborates with various California school districts and state agencies to translate research into practical policy recommendations and implementation strategies.
Dr. Leanne F. Alarid is a Professor in the Department of Criminal Justice at The University of Texas at El Paso, College of Liberal Arts. She earned her Ph.D. in Criminal Justice from Sam Houston State University and focuses on gender and crime, corrections policy, and mental health intersections with the justice system. Research Focus: Gender-specific analysis of criminal behavior, correctional treatment strategies, and mental health policy Current Project: Lead Evaluator for Bureau of Justice Assistance grant on jail-based reentry programs Editorial Roles: Member, Corrections: Policy, Practice and Research , Women and Criminal Justice , and Criminal Justice Policy Review Her recent publications emphasize community corrections , prison reentry , and gender dynamics in criminal justice , with a focus on implementation science and policy evaluation. She has contributed to journals like Justice Quarterly and The Prison Journal , alongside authoring major textbooks such as Community-Based Corrections and Corrections . Scientific Awards: 2011 Founder’s Award, Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences Dr. Alarid teaches courses including Correctional Systems, Community Corrections, Criminology, and Study Abroad programs in London. She actively evaluates correctional interventions and contributes to public policy discussions on decarceration and mental health diversion.
Matthew Desmond is a Professor of Sociology at Princeton University, where his research examines poverty, housing insecurity, and racial inequality in urban America. He founded and directs The Eviction Lab and serves as a Contributing Writer for the New York Times Magazine. His educational background includes: B.S. in Communication and Justice Studies, Arizona State University, 2002 M.S. in Sociology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2004 Ph.D. in Sociology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2010 Desmond's research employs immersive ethnographic methods to investigate systemic housing crises and their intersection with race, policy, and urban governance. His work bridges academic scholarship with public advocacy, emphasizing how economic exploitation shapes marginalized communities through mechanisms like eviction and policing. His publications reveal consistent focus on housing vulnerability and policy impacts, with 'Evicted' (2016) establishing foundational research on eviction's role in perpetuating poverty. Current work examines third-party policing dynamics and their disproportionate consequences for urban women, reflecting his commitment to documenting structural inequities through narrative-driven scholarship. Major recognitions include: Pulitzer Prize National Book Critics Circle Award Carnegie Medal PEN/John Kenneth Galbraith Award for Nonfiction MacArthur "Genius" Fellowship American Bar Association's Silver Gavel Award William Julius Wilson Early Career Award As principal investigator of The Eviction Lab, Desmond leads a major NSF-funded initiative creating the first comprehensive U.S. eviction database, driving policy reforms while mentoring emerging scholars. His Politico 50 recognition underscores his influence in translating academic findings into national policy debates. Desmond directs The Eviction Lab, a research collaborative that aggregates eviction records from all 50 states to analyze patterns, inform legislation, and support community advocacy efforts nationwide.
Tya Collins serves as Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Ottawa, leveraging 20 years of multifaceted experience across preschool, elementary, secondary, ESL/FSL, special education, and university contexts. Her interdisciplinary work bridges education, sociology, critical youth studies, Black studies, and disability studies to dismantle systemic barriers in educational pathways for marginalized youth. Her academic credentials include: PhD in Education from Université de Montréal SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellowship at McGill University Professor Collins' research investigates critical intersections of Blackness, disability, language, and systemic trauma through Black-affirming theories and methodologies. She positions youth as knowledge producers while examining special education placement processes, postsecondary outcomes, and resistance to structural inequalities. Her francophone-anglophone bilingual research uniquely addresses Quebec's linguistic minority context, emphasizing racial justice and decolonial approaches in educational spaces. Analysis of her 2021-2025 publications reveals consistent application of Disability Critical Race Theory (DisCrit) to expose how special education systems perpetuate anti-Black racism and ableism. Her work demonstrates increasing focus on immigrant student experiences, postsecondary transitions, and methodological innovation through counter-narrative and ethnographic approaches. These contributions advance critical scholarship in educational equity, disability justice, and community-centered research within North American minority contexts. Her scientific recognition includes: SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellowship Professor Collins actively partners with community organizations including the Observatoire des communautés noires du Québec, Réseau de recherche sur les communautés québécoises d’expression anglaise, Avenues (supporting minority youth transitions), and serves as Ontario representative on Desjardins Foundation’s Research Advisory Council. Recent institutional announcements confirm her involvement in nationally funded projects as reported by the University of Ottawa in August 2024. She advises graduate students while teaching core courses including Introduction to Research in Education (EDU 5190), Inclusive and Special Education (EDU 5113), and Equity in Education: Theory and Practice (PED 3124).
Geoff Ward is Professor of African and African American Studies at Washington University in St. Louis, with faculty affiliations in Sociology and American Culture Studies. As director of the WashU & Slavery Project , he leads initiatives with the Universities Studying Slavery consortium. His scholarship examines historical racial violence, transitional justice, and reparative memory work through grants from the National Science Foundation National Institute of Justice Ford Foundation Mellon Foundation Research interests focus on racialized violence legacies , anti-racist memory practices , and democratic crime control . Recent publications analyze lynching continuities in Southern schools, coroner narratives in postbellum justice, and environmental impacts of historical racism. Creative projects include Memory for the Future public humanities lab Monumental Anti-Racism StoryMap Racial Violence Archive digital resource Scientific awards include Michael J. Hindelang Book Award (2013) Outstanding Book Prize, History of Education Society (2013) Committed to engaged scholarship through National Monument Audit advisory board Mayor's Commemorative Landscape Taskforce Reparative Justice Coalition of St. Louis
David J.X. González is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Environmental Health Sciences at UC Berkeley’s School of Public Health. His interdisciplinary work bridges epidemiology and environmental science to address environmental justice and health disparities, particularly in extractive industries and climate-driven disasters. He leads the EQUIS Lab, focusing on oil/gas development, wildfire smoke, and structural racism in environmental hazards. Education : PhD in Environment and Resources, Stanford University MS in Epidemiology and Clinical Research, Stanford University MESc in Environmental Science, Yale University BS in Evolution, Ecology, and Biodiversity, UC Davis Research Interests : González investigates air pollution’s impact on perinatal health, climate change’s health consequences, and systemic racial inequities in environmental exposures. He employs community-engaged methods to translate findings into actionable policies and advocates for diversity in scientific fields. His work emphasizes marginalized communities’ disproportionate burdens from fossil fuels and environmental hazards. Publications & Media : His recent studies highlight fossil fuel health risks, wildfire-oil infrastructure intersections, and disparities in pandemic outcomes linked to oil/gas exposure. He frequently engages with media to communicate science, including op-eds on racial inequality in housing/education systems and language justice in environmental sciences. Awards : None explicitly listed in the text. Labs/Teams : As Principal Investigator of the EQUIS Lab, he coordinates interdisciplinary teams to study environmental justice issues, integrating community voices into research design and policy advocacy.
