Nancy Rodriguez
Nancy Rodriguez is a Professor in the Department of Criminology, Law and Society at the University of California, Irvine. Her research interests include inequality (race/ethnicity, class, crime and justice) and the collateral consequences of mass incarceration. Throughout her career, Dr. Rodriguez has engaged in use-inspired research and has been part of many successful collaborations with criminal justice agencies. She is the author of several influential books, and her work has appeared in numerous peer reviewed journals. In October 2014, Dr. Rodriguez was appointed by President Barack Obama to serve as the Director of the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), the scientific research arm of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Dr. Rodriguez has been a recipient of various awards for her contributions to the field of criminology (e.g., Fellow, American Society of Criminology; Lifetime Achievement Award, Division on People of Color and Crime, American Society of Criminology; Julius Debro Award, Division on People of Color and Crime, American Society of Criminology), her teaching (e.g., Outstanding Faculty Mentor Award, ASU Faculty Women’s Association; Faculty Achievement Award for Teaching, ASU), and dedicated service to the profession (e.g., Community Service Award, Division on People of Color and Crime, American Society of Criminology).
Currently, Dr. Rodriguez is Principal Investigator of a study on the racial and ethnic disparities experienced by Latinos in local justice systems (support from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation). She is also Principal Investigator of two multi-state projects addressing the causes and consequences of prison violence and the nature and impact of family engagement among incarcerated persons (support from Arnold Ventures).
