Education
PhD (2024 Expected)
University of California, Berkeley, School of Social Welfare
Areas of Focus: Intervention for At-Risk and Justice-Involved Youth
Policy Evaluation in Juvenile and Criminal Legal Systems
Graduate Certificate in Applied Data Science, awarded by the School of Information, UC Berkeley
M.S.W. (2019)
Washington University in St. Louis
Dual Concentration: Children, Youth, and Family/Mental Health
M.S. Applied Psychology (2007)
People’s Public Security University of China
Concentration: Criminal Psychology
Legal Professional Qualification Certificate of the People’s Republic of China (equivalent to passing the bar exam in the United States)
B.E. Economics (2003)
Tongji University
Major: International Economy and Trade
Minor: Law (Fudan University)
Contact & CV
Email: luyijian@berkeley.edu
.pdf of CV available upon request
Current Work
Lead Statistical Consultant
For a 3-year research project, “Optimizing supervision and service strategies to reduce reoffending: Accounting for risks, strengths, and developmental differences”, funded by the National Institute of Justice
Principle Investigator: Gina Vincent, Ph.D.
University of Massachusetts Medical School, Shrewsbury, MA
▪ Consulted on data transformations for the project, which has partnered with juvenile justice agencies in Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Wisconsin to track state-wide data on services, supervision, risk assessment, and recidivism for a large sample of justice-involved youth (N>40,000)
▪ Conducted statistical analyses critical to achieving study aims. Specifically, applied conventional survival analysis and survival analysis integrated with inverse probability of treatment weighted (IPTW) and SuperLearner (a machine learning method) to examine the predictivepower of risk vs. protective factors, risk-reduction vs. strengths-based services on reoffending, and the moderating effects of age
Trainee Fellow
2023- Present
Computational Research for Equity in the Legal System (CRELS) training program,funded by the National Science FoundationBerkeley Institute for Data Science (BIDS), UC Berkeley, CA
▪ Intensive training in data science knowledge and large data integration and analysis skills through coursework (e.g., computational social science series, causal inference series, data engineering, social and ethical implications of AI), weekly workshops, and research training sessions
▪ Working on the California Law Enforcement Accountability Network (CLEAN) project that aims to identify points of intervention in policing institutions and practices to reduce police misconduct and excessive use of force, which fall disproportionately on minority groups and the poor
Behavioral Interventions Scholar
August 2022- Present
Administration for Children & Families (ACF), Department of Health &
Human Services (HHS), United States
▪ Admitted to the Behavioral Interventions Scholars program, which offers federal awards for dissertations that apply behavioral science to conduct rigorous, policy-relevant research on issues facing low-income and vulnerable families
▪ Conducting dissertation research, “How does prosocial identity protect juveniles from reoffending? Testing core components of a conceptual model for identity-based intervention”, to explore an innovative strength-based intervention approach for justice-involved youth
Graduate Student Researcher
2021 - present
Risk Resilience Research Lab, UC Berkeley, CA
▪ Worked as the leading researcher in two projects funded by the Arnold Ventures that tested the impact of juvenile justice and criminal justice fees and financial sanctions on probation outcomes and families’ financial health outcomes
▪ Initiated and refined data extraction from the Alameda County Probation Department (ACPD), Alameda County Central Collections (ACCC), and California Department of Justice (DOJ) through formal paperwork and intensive oral and written communications
▪ Collaborated with California Policy Lab (CPL) to develop R and SAS scripts for hashing and matching ACPD data with large-scale consumer credit panel data
▪ Cleaned and merged complex administrative data received from ACPD, ACCC, DOJ, and CPL. Particularly, used R and SQL to conduct comprehensive hashed matching between the finalized samples and the consumer credit panel data (with a total of 460 million records) based on personal identifiers and address information, to obtain participants’ quarterly credit scores over 2.5 years
▪ Conducted advanced statistical analyses including Targeted Maximum Likelihood Estimation (TMLE) incorporating SuperLearner and Marginal Structural Modeling (MSM), to achieve study aims
▪ Visualized findings, drafted working papers, manuscripts, and one of the final reports to the funder
Practice and Professional Experience
MSW Concentration Practicum
2018-2019
Clark-Fox Family Foundation, St Louis, MO, USA
- Assisted in strategic planning for the Mass Incarceration Community Education Initiative
- Prepared and attended presentations to communities; conducted data analysis to evaluate audience response and wrote monthly reports
- Interviewed leaders of organizations that serve justice-involved youth and adults
MSW Foundation Practicum
2018
St. Louis City Juvenile Detention Center, St Louis, MO, USA
- Developed and implemented programs for youth in the detention center
- Collaborated with unit supervisors and social workers to discuss the detention center's services and practices
- Observed court hearings in the Family Court–Juvenile Division
Police Officer
2007-2017
Shanghai Public Security Bureau, Shanghai, China
- Worked in departments including the Police Station, Cyber Security, Crime Investigation, Command Center, and Publicity
- Gained a deep understanding of the comprehensive duties and crime prevention/intervention efforts of the local law enforcement through working in both front-line and administrative positions
Publications
PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS
Jian, L., Pettus-Davis, C., & Kohl, P. L. (2022). Young fathers in jail: Associations between father experiences, father-child relationships and community stability. Victims & Offenders, 17(4), 571–596. https://doi.org/10.1080/15564886.2021.1958399
Zhao, Y., Liu, M., Bo, S., & Jian, L. (2010). A study on crime distance of serial burglary cases. Journal of Chinese People’s Public Security University (Social Science Edition), 26(2), 143–149.
Jian, L., & Li, M. (2007). Developmental characteristics of adolescence-limited antisocial behavior. Issues on Juvenile Crimes and Delinquency, 26(5), 11–14. https://doi.org/10.3969/j.issn.1006-1509.2007.05.003
Jian, L. (2006). Psychological analysis of superstitious behaviors. Science of Social Psychology, 21(2), 120–122.
Jian, L. (2006). Methods of criminal profiling: Comparative analysis of CSA and BEA. Journal of Henan Judicial Police Vocational College, 4(4), 38–41.
BOOK CHAPTERS
Rossmo, K. (2007). Geographic Profiling (Li, M., Jian, L., Ren, Y., & Wang, Z. Trans.). People’s Public Security University of China Press (Original work published 2000; pp. 4–90, 262–273).
MANUSCRIPTS UNDER REVIEW
Jian, L., & Skeem, J. Getting traction on Positive Youth Justice: Prosocial identity as a promising target for intervention (Psychology, Public Policy, and Law)
MANUSCRIPTS IN SUBMISSION
Skeem, J., Jian, L., & Kennealy, P. Do “strengths” protect serious juvenile offenders against institutional infractions? (Law and Human Behavior)
Jian, L., Chambers, J., Montoya, L. & Skeem, J. Effect of juvenile justice financial sanctions and fees on recidivism (Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice)
MANUSCRIPTS IN PLANNING (Data Analyses Completed)
Jian, L., & Skeem, J. Effect of criminal justice fee repeal on probationers’ financial burden and recidivism
Jian, L., Skeem, J., Vincent, G. Other-oriented prosocial or conventional? Conceptualizing prosocial identity for justice-involved youth
Grants, Fellowships, and Scholarships
NATIONAL
2022-2024 Behavioral Interventions Scholars Grant ($50,000)
Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Department of Health & Human Services (DHHS), United States
UNIVERSITY-WIDE
2023-2024 Computational Research for Equity in the Legal System (CRELS) Fellowship($34,000)
Berkeley Institute for Data Science (BIDS), UC Berkeley
2023-2024 Doctoral Completion Fellowship ($30,000)
Graduate Division, UC Berkeley
2023 Summer Graduate Fellowship ($4,500)
School of Social Welfare, UC Berkeley
2023 Dean's Conference Travel Award ($3,100)
School of Social Welfare, UC Berkeley
2023 Conference Travel Grant ($900)
Graduate Division, UC Berkeley
2022-2023 Berkeley Empirical Legal Studies (BELS) Fellowship ($2,000)
Law School, UC Berkeley
2022 Summer Graduate Fellowship ($5,000)
School of Social Welfare, UC Berkeley
2021 Summer Graduate Fellowship ($5,000)
School of Social Welfare, UC Berkeley
2020 Summer Graduate Fellowship ($3,500)
School of Social Welfare, UC Berkeley
2019-2022 Dean’s Doctoral Fellowship ($28,000/year + partial tuition)
School of Social Welfare, UC Berkeley
2017 Brown School Scholarship ($25,000 tuition reduction)
Brown School of Social Work, Washington University in St. Louis
2004-2007 University Fellowship (¥2,700/year + full tuition)
Graduate Division, People’s Public Security University of China
2005 Excellent Graduate Student Scholarship (¥500)
Graduate Division, People’s Public Security University of China
2004 Excellent Graduate Student Scholarship (¥500)
Graduate Division, People’s Public Security University of China
2002 Excellent Undergraduate Student Scholarship (¥1,200)
School of Economics and Management, Tongji University
2001 Sony Scholarship (¥3,400)
Sony Scholarship Committee of Colleges and Universities in Shanghai
2000 Excellent Undergraduate Student Scholarship (¥2,800)
School of Economics and Management, Tongji University
Awards
2014 Award for Police Public Relations
Shanghai Public Security Bureau
2012 Annual Award for Outstanding Individuals
Shanghai Public Security Bureau
2011 Annual Award for Outstanding Individuals
Shanghai Public Security Bureau
Conference Activities & Presentations
2023 - “Conceptualizing prosocial identity for justice-involved youth”. American Society of Criminology Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, PA (accepted for paper presentation, in the thematic panel “Implementing positive youth justice in probation: Examination of protective factors by race and age”).
2023 - “Effect of juvenile justice financial sanctions and fee repeal on families’ financial burden and youth’s recidivism.” American Psychology-Law Society Conference, Philadelphia, PA (Paper presentation).
2023 - “Effect of juvenile justice financial sanctions and fee repeal on recidivism.” Society for Social Work and Research Annual Conference, virtually to Phoenix, IN (Poster presentation).
2022 - “How does prosocial identity protect justice-involved youth from reoffending?” Berkeley Empirical Legal Studies Seminar, Berkeley, CA.
2021 - “Training effects of In Your Corner - Opioid-Affected Youth Initiative.” Presented to In Your Corner Task Force, Alameda County Probation Department, CA.
2021 - Doctoral student trainee at the 7th Annual UC Consortium on Adolescence Summer Institute, virtually to Los Angeles, CA.
2020 - Doctoral student trainee at the 6th Annual UC Consortium on Adolescence Summer Institute, virtually to Los Angeles, CA.
2019 - Doctoral student trainee at the 5th Annual UC Consortium on Adolescence Summer Institute, Los Angeles, CA.
2019 - “Characteristics of young fathers in jail: Associations with father-child relationship and recidivism”. Society for Social Work and Research Annual Conference, San Francisco, CA (Paper presentation).
Teaching and Mentoring Experience
2020-2023
Graduate Student Instructor/Teaching Assistant
School of Social Welfare, UC Berkeley
Goldman School of Public Policy, UC Berkeley
Introduction to Social Welfare Policy (SW112)
Spring 2023
▪ In-person course for undergraduate students
▪ Taught two discussion sections weekly, proctored exams, gradedmid-term and final papers, and held office hours
▪ Class size: 48 students
Social Science & Crime Prevention Policy (PP189/SW181)
Spring 2020, Spring 2021, Fall 2022
▪ In person and/or online courses for upper-level undergraduate students from diverse majors
▪ Assisted in developing class materials for facilitated discussions and group activities, guided final projects, graded mid-term and final papers, and held office hours
▪ Class size: 90 students in average
2020-2022
GiGS (Getting into Graduate School program) Mentor
Office for Graduate Diversity, UC Berkeley
▪ Worked with historically underrepresented, first-generation, transfer, and reentry UC Berkeley students to support their application for and orientation to graduate schools
Past Research Experience
Graduate Student Researcher
2021-2022. Risk Resilience Research lab, UC Berkeley, CA
Effect of Group CBT for Justice-involved People with Mental Illness
Principle Investigator: Jennifer Skeem, Ph.D.
▪ Cleaned and prepared data from an experimental study investigating the effect of group cognitive-behavioral treatment on reoffending in a sample of justice-involved individuals with mental illness (N=720) at two sites (San Francisco and Sonoma) in CA
▪ Conducted repeated measures MANOVA and post hoc tests to examine whether the treatment improved attitudes, emotion regulation, aggression, and/or problem-solving skills
Effects of “In Your Corner - Opioid-Affected Youth Initiative”
Principle Investigator: Jennifer Skeem, Ph.D.
▪ Evaluated the short- and long-term effects of the “In Your Corner” campaign initiated by the ACPD. The campaign trains service providers to increase at-risk youth's utilization of substance abuse and behavioral health services
▪ Cleaned and analyzed data, visualized findings, and drafted the final report to the funder
Graduate Student Trainee and Researcher
California Applied Data Analytics Training Program (ADAPT) Summer 2021
Cohosted by Coleridge Initiative and D-lab at UC Berkeley, CA
▪ Completed 16 training sessions (35 hours) on SQL (structured query language), machine learning, and working with confidential data
▪ Explored and linked population-level data from California Department of Social Services (CDSS), California Department of Education (CDE), and Employment Development Department (EDD), to answer policy questions on social service utilization, gaps in services provision, and employment and educational outcomes for foster care youth
▪ Worked in a team with members from government agencies and was responsible for research design, data cleaning and analysis, results visualization, and final presentation
Primary Researcher
2007-2011 - Department of Crime Investigation, Shanghai Public Security Bureau, China
Analysis of Spatial Characteristics of Serial Burglary Cases
Principle Investigator: Yong Zhao, Deputy Director of the Department
of Crime Investigation
▪ Collaborated with a team of researchers and police officers to build a database containing behavioral information of arrested serial burglars in Shanghai
▪ Explored relationships between serial burglars’ geographic behavioral patterns and their residential locations
▪ Primary responsibilities included spearheading research plans, designing questionnaire and interview outline, distributing questionnaires to jailed burglars on a rolling basis (N=686), surveying burglary crime investigators (N=32), interpreting results from data analyses, and writing the final report
Research Assistant
2006 - Department of Applied Psychology, People’s Public Security University,Beijing, China
▪ Translated Geographic Profiling by Dr. Kim Rossmo from English to Chinese as part of a research team
▪ Served as a liaison and interpreter at seminars and conferences on geographic profiling for universities and law enforcement agencies such as People's Public Security University of China, Beijing Public Security Bureau, Shanghai Public Security Bureau, and Shanghai Police Academy
Research Assistant
China Youth & Children Research Center, Beijing, China
▪ Conducted literature reviews on policies and programs for street children in China and on the impact of mass media on youth, and wrote reports summarizing findings
▪ Facilitated team communication and performed administrative tasks
Professional Affiliations
Society for Social Work and Research
American Psychology-Law Society
American Psychological Association
American Society of Criminology
Berkeley Institute for Data Science (BIDS), UC Berkeley
Risk Resilience Research Lab, Goldman School of Public Policy, UC Berkeley
Center for the Study of Law and Society, Law School, UC Berkeley
Professional and University Services
Reviewer for Perspectives on Social Work journal, 2020-present
Doctoral Student Representative at the Dean's Student Advisory Board, School of Social Welfare, UC Berkeley, 2020-2022
Languages
Mandarin (native), English (fluent)