Hi, I'm Yamanda. Welcome to my portfolio.
I am a research psychologist with a Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Texas at Austin (2014) and a B.A. in Psychology from Stanford (2007). I specialize in inferential statistics, usually applied toward program evaluation for mission-driven non-profits and public agencies.
Generally, I'm passionate about using data to reform laws and policies that disproportionately affect low-income or otherwise underserved people, such as school district policies that contribute to an overrepresentation of Black and Latino students on alternative campuses. My independent research has been published in a number of peer-reviewed journals and books, most recently including Child Development Perspectives and Advances in Child Development and Behavior, and has received funding from the American Psychological Foundation's Kenneth B. and Mamie P. Clark Fund.
I am also deeply passionate about teaching psychology and statistics at the college level. In a former life, I was an Adjunct Professor at Texas State University and Instructor at the University of Texas at Austin, where I taught upper-division courses such as Adolescent Psychology, Introduction to Child Psychology, and Research Methods.
At present, I'm serving as a policy and data specialist for the Crime and Justice Institute in Boston, MA. If you have any questions about my work (or if you would like to inquire about hiring me as a part-time consultant for your organization), I can be reached at yamandaw@gmail.com.