IAJS Faculty Grants

While genomic research promises biomedical advancement, the persistent use of genetic claims regarding human difference has been used for social harm, including to justify slavery, restrict immigration, and involuntarily sterilize the ‘feebleminded’, to name a few. Underpinning such theories is a view of genes as essential, durable, and valid for dividing people into groups using population descriptors, like race, ethnicity, or ancestry. With support from IAJS, this pilot study uses interviews and surveys with African scientists and research subjects to develop ethical and equitable genomic research practices across diverse geographic contexts, ultimately informing and improving global standards.

Hear more from Dr. Martschenko

Daphne Martschenko, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Center for Biomedical Ethics

This IAJS-supported project integrates community, government and diplomacy, and academic partnerships and cutting edge neurohumanities tools to help connect the displaced Chagossian Community with their past and the land from which they were displaced. The project generates data for integration into a dossier to inform United Nations led policy related to the repatriation of the Chagossians to their native land. Working with international government and community partners, Seetah and his team address a prominent measure of reparation through valorization of Chagossian identity, as well as practical outcomes to support future livelihoods of the Chagossian community. 

Krish Seetah, Associate Professor of Environmental Social Sciences, of Oceans, and of AnthropologySenior Fellow at the Woods Institute for the Environment

Nearly forty years ago, the Tinsley Voluntary Transfer Program was created to expand educational opportunity for children growing up in some of the Bay Area’s most underserved communities. It represented a bold and hopeful commitment: that crossing district boundaries could help break cycles of segregation, open doors to high-quality educational environments, and build stronger, more connected communities. Much has changed, including The Bay Area’s shifting demographics, and patterns of segregation now look different. Families participating in the program today are more diverse, and the educational landscape they navigate is more complex. Pearman's study, with support from IAJS, addresses the first modern, data-driven assessment of the Tinsley Program’s impact on students’ educational experiences, sense of belonging, and long-term pathways into adulthood. 

Frances Alvin Pearman, Assistant Professor of Education

Advancing immigration justice in the United States requires shifting public attitudes and policy preferences. Video ads are one of the more promising routes to achieving these shifts because of their scalability. With support from IAJS, Willer and his collaborators are conducting a field experiment to identify and scale effective immigration-justice video narratives. The project meta-analyzes immigration-justice video ads and tests the most promising ones via a randomized controlled trial using addressable advertising on streaming television. The study measures effects on prejudice toward immigrants, support for pro-immigrant policies, and beliefs about immigrants' cultural and economic contributions, with attention to the durability of effects over time and generalizability across demographic groups. Findings will be a basis for actionable guidance for shifting public opinion at scale.

Robb Willer, Professor of Sociology