The LRI Team
Leadership
Nancy Rodriguez
Director; Professor
Dr. Nancy Rodriguez is Director of the Latino Research Institute (LRI) and Professor in the Department of Social and Cultural Analysis at the University of Texas at Austin. As Director of LRI, she is committed to strengthening the student experience and advancing faculty excellence. She engages across disciplines to deepen understanding of pressing societal issues. A central focus of Dr. Rodriguez’s work is the study of Latinos in the criminal justice system. Her research examines criminal justice policy, with particular attention to its impact on justice-involved individuals and communities. Trained in both quantitative and qualitative methods, Dr. Rodriguez regularly employs mixed-methods approaches in her scholarship. Her current projects center on two broad areas: (1) race, crime, and justice, and (2) correctional policy and public safety.
Photo Credit.
Krissia Plascencia
Senior Academic Program Coordinator
Dr. Krissia Plascencia is a researcher, writer, and educator. Her research examines educational and health inequities through the experiences of children and young people who translate and explain language and culture for health-related needs. Dr. Plascencia has been published in the Journal of Leadership, Equity, and Research, International Migration, and Talking Points. Dr. Plascencia has taught at UC Irvine, UCLA, and Occidental College and was a Provost's Early Career Postdoctoral Fellow at the College of Education at UT Austin. She holds a Ph.D. from the UCLA Graduate School of Education in Urban Schooling and a BA from UC Santa Cruz in Latin American and Latina/o/x Studies.
Photo Credit.
Erin Rodriguez
Area Director for Research
Dr. Erin Rodríguez is an associate professor in the Department of Educational Psychology at UT Austin. In partnership with schools, clinics, and community organizations, Dr. Rodríguez studies family, sociocultural, and contextual influences on children’s development and health outcomes, with a focus on understanding and reducing health disparities that impact Latinx youth. She also teaches courses in child social/emotional assessment and pediatric psychology & health disparities in the College of Education.
Photo Credit.
Nelly Salgado de Snyder
Senior Research Scientist
Dr. Nelly Salgado de Snyder earned her Doctorate in Social Welfare from UCLA and a M.A. and B.A. in Psychology from UNAM. She specializes in researching social inequities that create environments of vulnerability and risk, which directly impact health and behavior. She is an emeritus member of the prestigious Sistema Nacional de Investigadores de Mexico and recently retired from the Mexican National Institute of Public Health (INSP) where she was a professor and researcher in medical sciences.
Photo Credit.
Research Team
Oriana Lozano
Social Sciences and Humanities Research Associate II
Oriana Lozano Castro is a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Associate II, who supports the coordination of policy and special research initiatives. Originally from Nuevo Leon, Mexico, Oriana earned her B.A. in International Relations from the University of Monterrey and a Master of Global Policy Studies from the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, specializing in Global Governance and International Law. Before relocating to Austin, she worked for two years with the Government of the State of Nuevo Leon, contributing to the development of strategic planning instruments. Having lived in Mexico, Germany, and the United States, Oriana brings a global perspective to her work. Her academic and professional interests focus on the intersection of global health and human rights.
Photo Credit.
Minyu Zhang
Database Coordinator
Minyu Zhang is Database Coordinator at the Latino Research Institute. In addition to her extensive data management experience, she has rigorous training in advanced statistics using primary and secondary datasets. Dr. Zhang earned a PhD in Human Development and Family Sciences and completed a yearlong postdoctoral training program at the Population Research Center at The University of Texas at Austin. Trained as a quantitative social scientist, she believes that maintaining organized datasets and preserving research data throughout the lifecycle are critical elements in conducting ethical, quality research. She is the LRI’s point of contact for preparing and interpreting database structure and facilitating the efficient use of data for research projects internal and external to the Latino Research Institute.
Photo Credit.