ISSI Research & Programs

ISSI sponsors projects and working groups on a range of topics. Check out the links on the right for more research and working groups led by our centers.

Black Lives @ Cal

This public history project documents the lives of UC Berkeley’s Black students, faculty, staff, and alumni via an accessible and engaging website. One goal of the project is to collect existing information and make it available in one place, and another goal of the project is to identify the gaps and start filling them. For example, when did the first Black student attend UC Berkeley? The answer is not that clear! In addition to focusing on individuals, the project will spotlight key periods of policy changes and collective action and will document trends over time, for example, numbers and percentages of Black faculty.

The project is sponsored by African American Student Development (AASD) and the Institute for the Study of Societal Issues (ISSI), with support from the Office of the Chancellor and the Black Studies Collaboratory.

Faculty/Staff: Takiyah Jackson (AASD), Stephen Small (ISSI and African American Studies), Gia White (Global International and Area Studies), Laura McCreery (ISSI)

Graduate Student Researcher: Caleb Dawson, PhD Candidate in Education

Undergraduate Research Apprentices: Erzsabet Gonzalez, Skyler Glover, Elle Henry, Daniella Lake, Amari Turner, Isabella Volz-Broughton

For more information, contact blac_research@berkeley.edu

Computational Research for Equity in the Legal Systems (CRELS) 

Computational Research for Equity in the Legal Systems (CRELS) trains doctoral students representing a variety of degree programs and expertise areas in the social sciences, computer science and statistics.

Launched in 2023 with a $3-million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF), this five-year multidisciplinary training program in data science and social science disciplines fosters a new computational social science research community and leads the integration of research on the social implications of AI. 

The grant supports Ph.D. students focusing on fundamental, longstanding challenges related to inequality and its connection to criminal justice institutions in the United States. Fellows are trained for careers at the intersection of the studies of inequality, criminal justice, data science, and the social implications of artificial intelligence (AI) and big data. They will generate new scientific knowledge and develop novel tools for large-scale data integration and analysis.

CRELS leverages UC Berkeley’s faculty expertise in the law and social science of criminal justice systems (police, courts, prisons, jails, community corrections), data science, and the social implications of AI. Computational research on topics such as prosecutorial decision-making, police misconduct, and the links between evictions and contact with the criminal justice system will address fundamental, longstanding challenges related to inequality and its connection to criminal justice institutions in the United States. 

CRELS was launched by a multidisciplinary research team that includes Berkeley’s Division of Social Sciences, Social Science Matrix, D-Lab, College of Computing, Data Science, and Society, Berkeley Institute for Data Science, Institute for the Study of Societal Issues, Human Technology Futures group, Possibility Lab, Eviction Research Network, EPIC Data Lab, and Kavli Center for Ethics, Science, and the Public.

At the Center/Margins of the Pandemic: Southeast Asian American Social and Economic Precarity Before, During, and After the Pandemic

Though much has been written about the effects of the pandemic, we know relatively little of the social and economic impact of COVID on Asian Pacific Americans (APA), and even less on the more vulnerable APA sub-groups. Existing data on Asian Americans are not only limited but also insufficiently disaggregated, and yield little insight into the immediate and longer-term challenges facing the smaller and harder to access communities. This project seeks to increase and deepen our understanding of the impact of the pandemic on the economic, health, and social wellbeing of Southeast Asian Americans in general, and the less visible Southeast Asian groups such as the Cambodian and Laotian communities in particular. These populations are especially vulnerable because of their concentration in highly impacted economic sectors, persisting social and economic marginality, pre-existing health conditions due to war, state violence, and protracted stay in refugee camps, and limited access to quality care and other resources. Insights into the varied and differential impact of the pandemic are being gathered through the conduct of focus group meetings and interviews of individuals 18 years of age and older–selected from a cross-section of vulnerable Southeast Asian American populations

Principal Investigator: Khatharya Um, Ethnic Studies
Co-investigator: Julian Chow, Social Welfare

Interdisciplinary Research Group on Privacy 

The Interdisciplinary Research Group on Privacy is based at ISSI. With funding from the Social Science Matrix, Townsend Center for the Humanities, Center for Long-term Cybersecurity, Center for Technology Society and Policy, the SMART program, and the Graduate Division, this research project seeks to understand the deeper cultural logics inherent in shifting views on privacy in the modern world as well as the evolution of its meaning historically in the US context. The group gives undergraduate students at all stages the opportunity to obtain hands-on experience as research assistants. Students learn in a diverse, supportive, small group environment. Still trying to figure out if graduate school is for you? Students also learn skills relevant and marketable outside of the research space. If you are an undergraduate student seeking more information on volunteering as a research assistant, students interested in being considered for either credit or volunteer positions can apply at the beginning of each semester through the URAP website. The project is called "I Regret To Inform You That Your Private Information Has Been Compromised." Please email Naniette Coleman (nhcoleman@berkeley.edu) for more information. 

To make a gift in support of the IRGP, please visit the online giving site and in the "In Honor of:" section list "IRGP.

Scholarly Writing Accountability Group (SWAG)

The Scholarly Writing Accountability Group (SWAG) meets for three hour blocks (participants do not have to stay for the whole time).  SWAG provides a quiet space for students to work on their dissertation chapters, master’s papers, or other writing materials. We set 50 minute timers and take 10 minute breaks throughout the period. The goal is to teach students how to become disciplined about their writing time and to create a community setting for students to talk about writing blocks and frustrations during our breaks. SWAG was started by Professor G. Cristina Mora (Sociology) and is coordinated by volunteer grad students. SWAG is open to all ISSI affiliates, please email ISSI for more information.

KIDS FIRST: David L. Kirp Prize 

The KIDS FIRST: David L. Kirp Prize rewards students engaged in new or ongoing work that demonstrates a commitment, whether in education or other domains, to creating a better future for children and youth. The award of $2,500 is given to one UC Berkeley undergraduate student each year.  The Prize recognizes students who have developed innovative strategies to increase opportunities for children and youth, as well as students whose personal experience demonstrates a commitment to improving the future of children and youth.