Hello there! I am a #firstgen sociologist and demographer, and my passion lies at the intersection of quantitative social science and social justice. There are many types of advocacy, and I recognize that I am most useful by using my skills as a social scientist to advance equity in our vulnerable communities.

When I’m not working, I’m: reading [Current Read: The Borrower by Rebecca Makkai] , enjoying live music, biking around Brooklyn, training my adopted pittie, and volunteering with Gallop NYC, a therapeutic horseback riding center in New York.

Currently I am a senior research scientist at the Center for Policing Equity, conducting field-leading research to
reimagine approaches to and understandings of public safety with a focus on racial equity. I also maintain an active family demographic research agenda as an independent researcher and academic editor with my co-authors Dr. Laura Cuesta (Rutgers) and Dr. Angela Guarin (Universidad de los Andes). Stay tuned for more updates on our work in Colombia!

My previous academic research focused on how couples and parents manage their income and other financial resources, and the implications that income sharing (or “pooling”) may have for families. This work was covered in the fall by NPR’s “Marketplace“.

My additional work documents the trends and correlates of multiple spells of nonmarital cohabitation, the age at first marriage, contraceptive use following unintended births, and union dissolution during young adulthood.

I was recently a postdoctoral associate at the Rutgers University School of Social Work, working on multiple projects including “Nonresident Father Involvement and Child Wellbeing” with Dr. Lenna Nepomynaschy and documenting child support arrangements and family complexity over time in Colombia with Dr. Laura Cuesta.

Previously, I was a research assistant at the Center for Family & Demographic Research and the National Center for Family & Marriage Research at Bowling Green State University, and I held a brief internship at the U.S. Census Bureau Population division as a demography statistician.

I am an alumni of the 2018-2019 Population Reference Bureau U.S. Policy Communication Program Fellow, where I learned the skills to take my research into the world of policy and how to better communicate across disciplines.

Details about my positions as a postdoc, research assistant, fellow, and intern are available on my CV.