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Contact: Jon Meerdink ([email protected])

ANN ARBOR — The Institute for Social Research is pleased to announce its 2025 Junior Professional Researcher cohort. The six scholars joining ISR this summer will spend the next two years honing their professional skills, contributing to key research projects and initiatives throughout ISR’s five centers.

This year’s cohort comes to ISR for a wide range of backgrounds, both academic, personal, and professional, and represent the strength and depth of ISR’s interdisciplinary work. Their many different research interests will continue to strengthen ISR’s research community while preparing them for exciting careers in the social sciences. 

Read more about the 2025 cohort below and watch for more information about ISR’s JPR program in the weeks and months ahead.

Ming-Kimora Tate

Tate is a recent graduate of the Xavier Exponential Honors Program at Xavier University of Louisiana. There, she earned her degree in psychological sciences with minors in African American diaspora studies and history. Having completed her undergraduate degree, Tate now aims to pursue graduate studies in counseling psychology with a focus on addressing historical trauma, race, and cultural identity in therapeutic practice. While a part of the JPR program, Tate will work on a project entitled “It’s not just me! Black young adults’ views of what it takes to live on the right side of the law: An intersectional-CBPR study.”

“As a JPR, I am committed to pursuing advanced training that deepens my understanding of how marginalized communities navigate systemic barriers, with the goal of establishing a scholarly niche focused on culturally responsive interventions informed by the historical traumas impacting Black mental health,” Tate said.

Yasmine Skalli

Skalli arrives at ISR after completing her bachelor’s degree in social and environmental geography at Ohio State University. During her time at OSU, she completed an independent research project examining the community development and place-making practices of Muslims in Detroit. She also assisted in a community-based participatory research project in OSU’s Department of Geography investigating the role of formal and informal networks of support in the lives of Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio. While at ISR, Skalli will be a member of the PC CARES project.

“As a JPR on the PC CARES team, I am hoping to continue working on community engaged research, with the goal of developing decolonial research tools that empower historically marginalized communities,” said Skalli. “Following the completion of the JPR program, I look forward to taking the skills I acquire with me to graduate school.”

Courtney Fitzgerald

A Beinecke scholar, Fitzgerald graduated from Emory University in 2025. There, she conducted research on multiple projects using mixed methods approaches, centering her research largely around family demography and social psychology. Her research emphasizes intersectionality and inequality. In the JPR program, she’ll work with the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID).

“As a JPR, I hope to improve my interdisciplinary research skills and refine my interests before I pursue a Ph.D. in Sociology,” Fitzgerald said. “In addition to learning from the rich academic environment at ISR, I am excited to make contributions to meaningful research that can improve equity among marginalized groups.” 

Eunice Adjapong

Adjapong is a graduate of the University of Maryland, earning a bachelor’s degree in economics and a minor in statistics there. Originally from Ghana, Adjapong is passionate about addressing socioeconomic challenges facing the African continent and communities around the world. Her research interests focus on poverty alleviation through evidence-based programs and policy solutions. While involved in the JPR program, she’ll work with the Stone Center for Inequality Dynamics. 

“As a JPR, I hope to gain exposure to diverse research areas and grow into a well-rounded researcher,” Adjapong said. “I’m eager to collaborate with and learn from distinguished faculty and fellow scholars, and to build a strong foundation for conducting research that drives meaningful, evidence-based impact.”

Kaila Luell

Luell is a recent graduate of Colorado College, where she earned a degree in neuroscience with a minor in Chinese language. While at Colorado College, she assisted in research on neural mechanisms and memory. Specifically, her research examined how estradiol facilitates spinogenesis in auditory neurons of songbirds when they’re exposed to novel sound. Her research interests center mainly on the intersection of social and biological processes and how these processes shape brain function. She’ll work with the Detroit Area Wellness Network while a member of the JPR program.

“As an incoming JPR, I am eager to engage with each stage of the research process and strengthen my understanding of how meaningful research questions are developed, investigated, and expressed through academic writing,” Luell said. “I’m especially excited about the opportunity to be part of an interdisciplinary research team, where I can build on my background in neuroscience and psychology and gain new skills and perspectives.”

Brita Lund

Lund graduated from Ohio State University in 2024 with a degree in sociology. Her professional background in healthcare, education, and childcare shaped her interest in how institutions structure people’s lives and how individuals navigate the associated systems, leading to her research interests in social stratification, labor, and collective action. The combination of her professional background and research interests led Lund to pursue academic research that utilizes qualitative methods to better understand structural inequalities. As a member of the JPR program, she will work with the Panel Study of Income Dynamics.

“As a JPR, I’m hoping to refine my research focus and strengthen my quantitative analysis skills,” said Lund. “I’m excited to be immersed in social science research and learn from researchers doing the kind of work I hope to conduct in graduate school and beyond.”