Researcher Development Institute
Supported by the Thurgood Marshall College Fund
About us
The Center for Justice Research Researcher Development Institute (RDI) was established to address the lack of culturally-responsive, justice-related research training and development opportunities for students and faculty.
The RDI offers opportunities for training in fundamental research principles and strategies with an emphasis in team and project- based learning with clearly-defined, research-oriented deliverables. Aligned with the RDI’s mission to increase the availability of culturally relevant researcher development opportunities for faculty and doctoral students, we have launched a new initiative supported by the Thurgood Marshall College Fund to provide a 12-month researcher development program.
Meet the Team
jasmine drake
program coordinator
Kandace HURST
post doctoral fellow
JASMINE drAKE, Ph.D
Research Fellow and Associate Professor of Administration of Justice at Texas Southern University
Kandace HURST, Ph.D
Postdoctoral Fellow
Current Cohort
jasmine drake
program coordinator
jasmine drake
program coordinator
Kandace HURST
post doctoral fellow
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Emerald Jones, Ph.D
Dr. Emerald Jones, a Charlotte, North Carolina native, is a graduate of Howard University focusing on the areas of criminology and social inequality. She received her master's degree in sociology from Fayetteville State University and a bachelor's degree in psychology from Fayetteville State University. Her research — which focuses on mass incarceration, social inequality, racial discrimination, and occupational inequality — explores how race and gender play a major role in the judicial system.
DENISE BROWN - Doctoral candidate
Denise Brown is a Center for Justice Research graduate research fellow. She is a doctoral student in the Administration of Justice Department of the Barbara Jordan -Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs at Texas Southern University. She received her B.S. in Forensic Science and M.S. in Criminal Justice from Sam Houston State University. Denise’s research interests are examining the barriers members of disenfranchised communities face and the impact forensic science has on reducing racial disparities in the criminal justice system.
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Adeyemi Doss, Ph.D
Dr. Adeyemi Doss is an Assistant Professor of Sociology in the Department of Multidisciplinary Studies, at Indiana State University. Dr. Doss' research interests are shaped by a growing trend towards producing scholarships that address issues facing African American men and boys. His research raises important questions about black subjectivity, patterns of black spatial mobility, and embodied resistance.
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Serita Whiting, Ph.D
Serita Whiting recently completed her Ph.D. from Prairie View A&M University from the College of Justice Studies. She is an adjunct instructor for Texas Southern University Administration of Justice Department. Her research interest includes the intersectionality of race, and gender, and how this impacts crime and delinquency. She has co-authored research in the Journal of Feminist Criminology, Humanity and Society, and Race and Justice. Her scholarly agenda seeks to bring socially just change to marginalized individuals through research, teaching, and social activism.
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Julian L. Scott, III, Ph.D
Dr. Julian L. Scott, III, is a Research Fellow at the Center for Justice Research and an Assistant Professor within the Administration of Justice Department in the Barbara Jordan - Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs . He previously served as an Assistant Professor within the Lee P. Brown Institute at Wiley College. His research interests are at the intersection of race, crime, and juvenile justice, with an emphasis in equity-based research. Julian has been published in the Journal of Social Science Studies, the Journal of Sociological Research, and Journal of Criminal Justice and Law Review. Dr. Scott serves as the lead on our judicial bias project.
Dr. Scott received his B.A. in Criminal Justice from Fort Valley State University; his M.S. in Criminal Justice from Valdosta State University; and Ph.D. in Juvenile Justice and & Psychology from Prairie View A&M University
Testimonials
Testimo-nials
jasmine drake
program coordinator
Kandace HURST
post doctoral fellow
I’ve been able to network with and learn from other Black scholars when we would not have crossed paths if not for the program.
DENISE BROWN
The areas that I have seen tremendous changes both professionally and scholarly lay within my strategic planning, time management, and organization.
dr julian scott, iii
It is within the realm of the institution that I am often confined by a sense of not belonging… through the empowerment of being in a space with like-minded individuals, I am better equipped to work and learn among colleagues, who can empathize with the duality of my experience as both a minority and an educator.
DR. ADAYEMI DOSS
Participating in this program has been life-changing for professional and personal reasons. The program allowed me to be a part of a cohort of doctors and doctoral candidates who looked just like me and experienced the same academic barriers and systematic issues that I have while trying to navigate in this field.
DR. EMERALD ALEXA LEIGH JONES
…the RDI not only prepares its cohorts to thrive in academic spaces but also administers the tools required to be affluent in research, teaching, and service, which is an essential component in sustaining a career in higher education.
