Before coming to Brown, Dr. Butler-Barnes was a National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Michigan’s School of Education affiliated with the Center for the Study of Black Youth in Context. During her fellowship, she conducted research on how individual-level factors connected to Black youths’ cultural backgrounds (e.g., internal assets such as racial identity beliefs, religiosity) and ecological risk and resources (community violence, family and peer support) influence their achievement and socio-emotional well-being outcomes.