In our new Affiliate Highlights series, we are sharing short interviews with members of our community, offering a glimpse into their research, interests, and what inspires their work. This year, we are randomly selecting assistant and associate professors from our Affiliates program.
Each feature includes a few brief questions (nothing too serious!) to help spark connections, highlight new opportunities, and maybe even introduce you to your next collaborator. This month, get to know Rachel Magee and Violeta Rodriguez!
Rachel Magee | assistant professor, School of Information Sciences
What are your main research interests? My main research focuses on youth, most often teens. I’m really interested in their experiences with technology and literacy, and take a collaborative, participatory approach to learning together with them. I really see connecting with youth and the organizations that serve them, often outside schools, as core to my approach. Teens are the experts on their experiences, and I think hearing from them in each aspect of the research process makes the work stronger, more likely to have impact, and better rooted in youth experiences and perspectives.
What drives your interest in this area of research? I’m driven by the idea that young people’s voices are often overlooked or not heard because of the way our society and culture are structured. I hope I can help amplify their perspectives for a wider audience – youth are thoughtful and aware and we should be listening to what they have to say.
Violeta Rodriguez | assistant professor, psychology
What are your main research interests? My primary research interests focus on developing and validating parenting assessments that are psychometrically sound and culturally meaningful for ethnoracially diverse parents. I use advanced psychometric methods in combination with community-based participatory research principles to create tools that reflect real-world parenting experiences. My goal is to better understand how parenting practices relate to parent and child well-being and to produce assessments that are useful in both research and applied settings.
How do you see your work connecting with others for collaboration? Collaboration is at the heart of my work. I regularly partner with community organizations, clinicians, and interdisciplinary scholars to ensure that my research is grounded, relevant, and responsive to families’ needs. These collaborations lead to shared learning and the co-creation of research agendas that can have a meaningful impact. I’ve grown so much through these partnerships and continue to value the relationships they build.