College of Liberal Arts
skip to content The University of Texas at Austin

REU Site: Undergraduate Research in Population Studies and the Legal System

College of Liberal Arts

This caption describes the image above.

Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Program

Undergraduate Research in Population Studies and the Legal System
Population Research Center, Initiative for Law, Societies, and Justice, and Department of Sociology, The University of Texas at Austin

NSF Support Acknowledgement

This REU Program is supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) Grant No. 2349109.
For more information, please view the NSF Award Abstract.

The Population Research Center of The University of Texas at Austin in collaboration with the Initiative for Law, Societies, and Justice and the Department of Sociology, is pleased to announce the 2026 Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Program, with funding from the National Science Foundation. The REU program offers talented undergraduates the opportunity for classroom training and hands-on research experience during an 8-week session on The University of Texas at Austin campus.

What is the REU Program? The Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program hosts 12 very select undergraduates from around the United States for 8 weeks during the summer and introduces them to careers in social science through an intense program to conduct research that contributes to our scientific understanding of population studies and the legal system with relevance for research, policy, and practice. The program features seminars on racial and ethnic differences in exposure to and impacts of criminal justice contact and educational, economic, health, political, and social inequalities of the U.S. population. In addition to the seminars, REU participants will be introduced research ethics and to different methods of inquiry on the causes and consequences of justice system involvement at the UT Population Research Center (PRC). The PRC is the foremost research institute for population studies in the southwestern United States and home to a university-wide Initiative for Law, Societies, and Justice. Over the summer, REU students are expected to develop individual research projects mentored by faculty and/or in partnership with community organizations in policy and practice settings. Students will present findings from their mentored research projects at the conclusion of the summer program. They will also be invited to present their work at a professional conference in the fall following their REU summer.

REU summer program dates are forthecoming for summer 2026. REU participants will be part of the UT Population Research Center, the Initiative for Law, Societies, and Justice, and the Department of Sociology community, with a readymade set of faculty members and fellow students eager to introduce them to the collegiality of academic life.

REU participants will receive a $5,600 summer stipend for participation in the program, which should allow the selected students to fully concentrate on their REU experience over the 2-month program. The REU program will also pay for room and board, assuming the program is offered face-to-face. Participants who chose to present their paper at the fall 2026 conference will be provided a travel allowance.

Ideally, REU participants will live and dine together over the summer in a UT residence hall and may arrive as early as May 31. A mandatory orientation will be held on June 2. Participation in the REU program will allow students access the campus shuttle bus and Austin Capital Metro transportation, and a wide range of entertainment events in the Austin community. Students are encouraged to make the most of their stay in Austin and use the extra time outside the program dates to enjoy the city and all it has to offer.

Who is eligible to be an REU student? This program is open to US citizens and permanent residents. Undergraduates who have completed requirements for sophomore or junior standing are eligible to apply, with the ideal time for REU being the summer between the junior and senior year. We would like to encourage applications from students who are currently enrolled in undergraduate programs in the social sciences and adjacent fields and from groups historically underrepresented in graduate education. We would like to encourage applications from undergraduates at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) and Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSI) in Texas, and students who have been acutely impacted by the criminal justice system. A letter of reference from a nominating faculty member will also be given serious weight in our selection decisions.

2026 Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Program: How do interested students apply for the REU program? 

Applications are submitted electronically through the NSF ETAP system.  To apply to this program and for more inforamtion please visit the NSF ETAP site here. Applications are anticipated to open in December 2025.

Questions or comments may be directed to: service@prc.utexas.edu 

  • 2025 Cohort

    Katy Doncer - The University of Texas at Austin - "Life or Death: The Wild West of Capital Punishment in Texas"

    Zoe Gonzalez - Pitzer College - "A Deal's A Deal: Representation, Race, and Reduced Charges in Plea Deals"

    Marianna Herold - The University of Texas at Austin - Policing the Margins: Unhoused Safety Outcomes of Policing & Displacement"

    Joseph Jones - University of Virginia - "Negotiation in Violence Interruption: Status and the Zero-sum Game"

    Megan Long- University of Kansas - "Pass-Through and the Child Support Debt Burden"

    Hadiyah Muhammad - The University of North Texas - "From Perception to Outcome: Adultification Bias and Black Girls' Educational and Economic Futures"

    Jenna Reich - Rice University - "Evaluating the Impact of HB 351 on Texas Misdemeanor Outcomes"

    Isabel Rodriguez - The University of Notre Dame - "Understanding the Impact of Housing Instability on Substance Use After Incarceration"

    Alia Wang - Pitzer College - "ADHD and the Criminal Justice System"

    Kharma Wilson - Spelman College - "Racial Disparities in Capital Punishment Across Texas Counties"

    Julie Zhang - University of Washington - "Signals of Surveillance"

  • 2024 Cohort

    Chim-Dinma Abakwue - Texas A&M University - "The Impact of Parental Violence on Children's Mental Health"

    Boluwasefe Adelugba - Texas A&M University - "The Impact of the Criminal Legal System on Black Men's Mental Health"

    Nerissa Crawford - University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill - "The Complex Interplay of Biological, Social, and Environmental Factors Contributing to Health Disparities Among Incarcerated Individuals"

    Marlee Davis - Washington and Lee University - "Analyzed the Family History of Incarcerated Study (FAMHIS) using RStudio to Identify Response Trends Between the Incarceration of a Sibling and Perceptions of Legal Institutions"

    Dyson Smith - University of California Davis - "Demography of the Criminal Justice System"

    Ashley Garzon - Farmingdale State College - "How Citizen Status Affects Police Reporting Amongst Latinas by Using Data From the National Crime Victimization Survey"

    Aryan Jain - Arizona State University - "Eyes on the Street: Evaluating the Effectiveness of Body-Worn Camera Policy to Address Racial Disparities in Policing"

    Pauline Kung - Rutgers University - "The Impact of Visible Security Infrastructure on Reported Crime at Texas Public Universities"

    Kam McQueen - University of Texas at Austin - "From Perception to Outcome: Adultification Bias and Black Girls' Educational and Economical Futures"

    Nicole Peterson - University of Texas at San Antonio - "A New Landscape: A First Look at Violent Victimization Reporting Behaviors in Post-COVID America"

    Karina Plasencia-Leos - University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill - "The Impact of Section 287(g) on Maternal and Neonatal Health Among Latina Mothers in North Carolina"

    Hailey Saya Tomlinson - John Hopkins University - "Black Transfeminine People, Complex Violence Victimizations, and the Oppression-to-Incarceration Cycle: Trans Temporal Interventions in the Criminal Legal Nexus"

  • Accordion 3
    Panel 3. Add body text in this space.
  • Accordion 4
    Panel 4. Add body text in this space.
  • Accordion 5
    Panel 5. Add body text in this space.
  • 2021 Cohort

    Lin Ang - University of Pennsylvania - "Interracial Relationships and Parent-Child Bonds"

    Aryele Jackson - Western Washington University - "How School Discipline and Sense of Belonging Motivate Black Educational Attainment"

    Margarita Obregon - University of Southern California - "Financial Transfers Between Parents and their Adult Children: A Focus on Immigrant Families in the United States"

    Clarisse Manuel - The University of Texas at Austin - "Adolescent Sexual Attitudes and the Likelihood of Teen Pregnancy"

    Isabel Levin - The University of Massachusetts - "Intergenerational Closure and Educational Attainment in Young Adulthood"

    Erika Folgar - Vassar College - "The Association Between Adolescent Intimate Partner Violence and College Graduation"

    Soren Starkey - Ohio University - "Power, Violence, and Identity: Effects of Abstinence Pledges on Romantic Relationships"

    Olivia Howard - University of Michigan - "Inheriting Financial Exclusion: How Family Structure History Influences Banking in Early Adulthood"

  • 2019 Cohort

    Hannah Bills - Southwestern University - "Dating Violence among U.S. High School Students: Differences across Sexual Identity and Sexual Behavior"

    Sofia Depner - University of Arizona - "Immigration Policy and Education: Arizona Test Scores after SB 1070"

    Benjamin Gonzalez - Trinity University - "Disparities in Context: Health Insurance Coverage in Texas Latinx Populations"

    Jada Kissi - Cornell University - "Sexual empowerment and family planning use among Ghanaian Women"

    Siriruay "Ploy" Methakitwarun - Northern Kentucky University - "Immigrant generations in home leaving: Do parents and peers matter"

    Athena Owirodu -  The University of Texas at Austin - "Parental Health and its Impact on their Child’s College Trajectory"

    Meena Pyatt -  The University of Texas at Austin - "Multiracial Identity and Adolescent Sexual Debut"

    Zachary White - Southwestern University - "How Long is this Gonna Last?’ Using the National Couples Survey to Measure Confidence in a Relationship"

    Notable mentions and awards

    Siriruay "Ploy" Methakitwarun - recipient of the 2019 Southern Demographic Association best undergraduate student paper award

    Athena Owirodu - selected as a recipient of the Undergraduate Research Fellowship for her paper, "Parental Health and its Impact on their Child’s College Trajectory" 

  • Accordion 3
    Panel 3. Add body text in this space.
  • Accordion 4
    Panel 4. Add body text in this space.
  • Accordion 5
    Panel 5. Add body text in this space.
College of Liberal Arts

2025 REU Cohort

Katy Doncer - The University of Texas at Austin 

Zoe Gonzalez - Pitzer College 

Marianna Herold - The University of Texas at Austin

Joseph Jones - University of Virginia 

Megan Long- University of Kansas 

Hadiyah Muhammad - The University of North Texas

Jenna Reich - Rice University 

Isabel Rodriguez - The University of Notre Dame 

Alia Wang - Pitzer College 

Kharma Wilson - Spelman College

Julie Zhang - University of Washington

College of Liberal Arts

2024 REU Cohort

Chim-Dinma Abakwue - Texas A&M University

Boluwasefe Adelugba - Texas A&M University

Nerissa Crawford - University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Marlee Davis - Washington and Lee University

Dyson Smith - University of California Davis

Ashley Garzon - Farmingdale State College

Aryan Jain - Arizona State University

Pauline Kung - Rutgers University

Kam McQueen - University of Texas at Austin

Nicole Pterson - University of Texas at San Antonio

Karina Plasencia-Leos - University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Hailey Saya Tomlinson - John Hopkins University

College of Liberal Arts

This caption describes the image above.

College of Liberal Arts

This caption describes the image above.

College of Liberal Arts

This caption describes the image above.