Meet Our Lab Members
Pajarita Charles
Principle Investigator
Pajarita Charles, PhD, MSW, MPA is an Associate Professor at the Sandra Rosenbaum School of Social Work and an affiliate of the Institute for Research on Poverty and the Center for Law, Society, and Justice. Her research focuses on the development, implementation, and testing of family-focused preventive interventions to promote positive outcomes for children and families affected by the criminal legal system. Dr. Charles’ efforts foster research, practice, and public sector partnerships to build capacity for reform and the reduction of the footprint of the criminal legal system. She is a co-leader of the national Promote Smart Decarceration grand challenge network for the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare and frequently collaborates with local and state organizations to provide expertise and guidance on issues pertinent to families impacted by the criminal legal system.
Current Lab Members
Grace Landrum
Doctoral Student
Grace is a doctoral student at the Sandra Rosenbaum School of Social Work, where she earned her BSW and MSW degrees. Her research examines the intersections of the U.S. welfare and carceral states. Grace utilizes qualitative and quantitative research methods to investigate how families experience these systems in their daily lives. As a trained social worker, she is motivated by the belief that policies and systems should support families and not harm them. This belief informs her work’s orientation toward advocating for substantial changes in welfare state policies and her interest in prison-industrial complex abolition.
Paulina Grekov
Doctoral Student
Paulina is a PhD student in the Quantitative Methods area of the Department of Educational Psychology working with Dr. James Pustejovsky. Paulina's current research interests include meta-analysis, research synthesis, multilevel modeling, and single-case experimental designs. Prior to coming to UW Madison, Paulina spent several years working within educational settings including managing caseloads of, and teaching, fourth through sixth grade students with disabilities.
Ava Heyrman
Post-Baccalaureate
Ava Heyrman is a recent graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, School of Human Ecology. She received a BS in Psychology and Human Development & Family Studies, with a certificate in Disabilities Rights & Services and Leadership. Currently, she is the full-time research coordinator for the Embark Lab at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Additionally, she is in a post-baccalaureate role for the Lab of Family Wellbeing and Justice, working on various projects. In Summer 2025, she will be working for the University of Texas-Austin, continuing her role as a research coordinator for the Embark Lab.
Amareli Aranda
Undergraduate Student
Amareli is a senior majoring in Human Development & Family Studies and Social Welfare with a certificate in Chican@ and Latin@ Studies. Her interest in carcel justice began in the summer of 2024 when working as an intern for UW-Extension Racine County as a Family Engagement and Relationship Intern. Here she assisted in implementing the Making Reading Memories program and Family-Friendly Visits, along with visiting room spatial changes. She then began working in the fall of 2024 with UW-Extension Dane County to deliver the Making Reading Memories to both Dane and Brown County. She also works with Julie Poehlmann in the School of Human Ecology to code Making Reading Memories videos to make future suggestions to the program.
Cece Babat
Undergraduate Student
Cece is a senior majoring in Psychology and Social Work. As a student in the Bachelor of Social Work program at UW-Madison, she joined the lab as a part of her field education requirements in the Fall of 2024. As a member of the Family Wellbeing & Justice Lab, she has taught and gathered data for the Making Reading Memories program in two county facilities in Wisconsin. Cece’s involvement with criminal justice work began in the Spring 2024 semester as she advocated against the use of solitary confinement in the Wisconsin correctional system. Her interest in criminal justice reform has continued to grow, particularly regarding the impact of system involvement on youth and families. Through her work in the lab, she aims to contribute to the development and implementation of family-focused interventions that promote positive outcomes for children and families affected by the criminal justice system.