Julissa Muniz

Julissa O. Muñiz is a Provost's Early Career Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Educational Psychology in the College of Education and an affiliate of the Texas Center for Equity and Promotion (TexCEP) at the University of Texas Austin. Julissa holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in Human Development and Social Policy from Northwestern University, an Ed.M. in Prevention Science and Practice from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and a B.A. in Ethnic Studies from the University of California, Berkeley. Her research explores questions of race and racism, whiteness, mass incarceration, power and privilege, identity development, teaching and learning, institutional and organizational logics, and abolition with a focus on the juvenile legal, criminal legal, and education systems. Given the interdisciplinary nature of her work, Julissa draws on a range of theories and concepts from various fields including education, sociology, human development, critical carceral studies, and ethnic studies to better understand what it means to live and learn in the carceral context. As a postdoctoral fellow, Julissa works closely with her mentor, Dr. Mark Eddy, and the TRES Working Group and is currently involved in several ongoing projects. Additionally, Julissa is highly involved in the Texas Prison Education Initiative (TPEI) and has taught college courses at Lockhart Correctional Center.