Violence against women, domestic violence, identity fraud victimization, economic empowerment of vulnerable populations; evidence synthesis
Dr. Yasemin Irvin-Erickson is Assistant Professor of Criminology, Law and Society. She researches primarily in the area of victimization, technology, and the economic empowerment of vulnerable populations. Prior to joining Mason, Dr. Irvin-Erickson was a senior researcher at the Urban Institute's Justice Policy Center (2014-2018) where she managed an externally funded research portfolio over $3 million on a variety of social justice issues including violence and victimization.
Her most recent work includes a nationwide mixed-methods research study on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on victimization risk and service needs of victims/survivors of domestic violence and two research studies on patterns and harms of identity theft victimization.
In 2016, Dr. Irvin-Erickson was selected to serve among 13 researchers and practitioners in the Rutgers Violence Against Women Research Consortium funded by the National Institute of Justice. In 2017, Dr. Irvin-Erickson and her team were selected among 10 teams worldwide to receive a Development Marketplace Innovation Award in response to gender-based violence with a mobile survey application they developed to crowdsource real-time data on transit users’ experiences and fear of violence in public transportation. Between 2016 and 2018, Dr. Irvin-Erickson has served as a key project member for the Center for Victim Research funded by the Office for Victims of Crime.
Collaborative Research: The Impact of Covid-19 on Victimization Risk and Service Needs for Domestic Violence Victims and Survivors (September 2021 - Current)
Coalition to Enhance the Capacity of Policing Mental Health Problems in Virginia (March 2022 - Current)
Ongoing University-funded or unfunded research projects
Enablers and Barriers of Refugees’ Safe, Voluntary, and Sustained Returns
Identity Theft Victimization Among University Students, Faculty, and Staff Members
Stacy, C., Irvin-Erickson, Y. & Tiry, E. The impact of gunshots on place-level business activity. Crime Science 10, 10 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40163-021-00146-9
Irvin-Erickson, Y., Malik, A. A., Kamiran, F., & Natarajan, M. (2020). Utility of ecological momentary assessments to collect data on fear of crime, International Journal of Comparative and Applied Criminal Justice, DOI: 10.1080/01924036.2020.1719532
Irvin-Erickson, Y., Malik, A. A., & Kamiran, F. (2020). Contextual Determinants of Fear of Crime in Public Transit: An Ecological Momentary Assessment Pilot Study. In V. Ceccato Editor & M. Nalla (Eds.), Crime and Fear in Public Places: Towards Safe, Inclusive and Sustainable Cities (pp.291-304). Abingdon: Routledge.
Irvin-Erickson, Y., & Ricks, A. (2019). Identity Theft and Fraud Victimization: What We Know about Identity Theft and Fraud Victims from Research-and Practice-Based Evidence. Center for Victim Research.
Peters HE, Irvin-Erickson Y, Adelstein S, Malik A, Derrick-Mills T, Valido A, Espelage D (2019) Qualitative evidence on barriers to and facilitators of women’s participation in higher or growing productivity and male-dominated labour market sectors in low- and middle-income countries. London: EPPI Centre, Social Science Research Unit, UCL Institute of Education, University College London (non-blind systematic review).
Zolnik, E. J., Malik, A., & Irvin-Erickson, Y. (2018). Who benefits from bus rapid transit? Evidence from the Metro Bus System (MBS) in Lahore. Journal of Transport Geography, 71, 139-149.
Irvin-Erickson, Y., La Vigne, N., Levine, N., Tiry, E., & Bieler, S. (2017). What does Gunshot Detection Technology Tell Us About Gun Violence?. Applied Geography 86: 262-273.
Irvin-Erickson, Y., Lynch, M., Gurvis, A., Mohr, E., & Bai, B. (2017). A Neighborhood-Level Analysis of the Economic Impact of Gun Violence. Urban Institute.
Levy, J. M., Irvin-Erickson, Y., & La Vigne, N. (2017). A case study of bicycle theft on the Washington DC metrorail system using a routine activities and crime pattern theory framework. Security Journal, 31(1), 226-246.
Malik, A. A., Mohr, E., & Irvin-Erickson, Y. (2017). Can refugees provide the impetus for urban regeneration? Economic integration, social networks and well-being in Peshawar, Pakistan. Journal of Urban Regeneration & Renewal, 11(1), 30-43.
La Vigne, N. G., Paddock, E., Irvin-Erickson, Y., Kim, K., Peterson, B. E., & Bieler, S. (2017). A Blueprint for Interagency and Cross-Jurisdictional Data Sharing. Urban Institute
Irvin-Erickson, Y., & La Vigne, N. (2015). A spatio-temporal analysis of crime at Washington, DC metro rail: Stations’ crime-generating and crime-attracting characteristics as transportation nodes and places. Crime science, 4(1), 14.
Past Grants (Completed Projects)
Mapping for Policy, “A Whole Journey Approach to Tackling Sexual Victimization in Public Transit” (2017-2019)
Systematic Review of Barriers to, and Facilitators of Women’s Participation in High Productivity Labor Market Sectors (2017-2019)
Survey of State Attorney General Offices (2015-2020)
Rutgers Violence Against Women Research Consortium (Sub-contract to Rutgers University; 2017-2018)
Harnessing the Power of Businesses in Responding to Refugee Crises: A Blueprint for Improved Humanitarian-Private Sector Collaboration (2016-2018)
Harnessing the Power of Businesses in Responding to Refugee Crises: A Blueprint for Improved Humanitarian-Private Sector Collaboration (2016-2017)
Making Growth Work for Women in Low Income Countries Research Consortium (2015-2017)
Understanding the Economic Impact of Gun Violence (2015-2017)
Economic Impact of Refugees on Host Communities: Social Networks, Economic Vulnerability, and Resilience among Urban Refugees in Kenya, Turkey, and Pakistan (2015-2017)
Analyzing Crime Patterns and Trends in the Washington, DC Metropolitan Area: Documenting the Value of Cross-Agency and Cross-Jurisdictional Data Integration (2014-2015)
Awards and Fellowships
Development Marketplace: Innovations to Prevent Gender-Based Violence Award, 2017. Awarded by World Bank Group and Sexual Violence Research Initiative for supporting research and innovation to help address the problem of sexual harassment in and around public transportation ($100,000)
National Institute of Justice Graduate Research Fellowship, 2012-2014 ($25,000) Rutgers University Dissertation Fellowship, 2012 ($20,000)
Rutgers Center on Public Security Research Assistantship, 2011-2012 ($15,000) Gerhard Mueller Scholarship, Rutgers Alumni Association, 2010 ($600) TUBITAK Graduate Fellowship, 2006-2008 ($20,000)
CRIM404: Crime Victims and Victimization
CRIM320:Crime and Place (Undergraduate-level)
CRIM315:Research Methods and Analysis in Criminology (Undergraduate-level)
CRIM710:Criminological Theory (PhD-level)
Ph.D., Criminal Justice, Rutgers University School of Criminal Justice, 2014.
M.A., Criminal Justice, Rutgers University School of Criminal Justice, 2010.
M.A., Forensic Science, Istanbul University, Institute of Forensic Sciences, Turkey, 2009.
B.A., Sociology (with a minor in Psychology), Middle East Technical University, Turkey, 2004.
“Towards a Theory of Change: A Multi-disciplinary Theoretical Framework to Understand and Prevent Domestic Violence During the COVID Pandemic.” Mangai Natarajan, Graduate Center/John Jay College/CUNY; Yasemin Irvin-Erickson, George Mason University. Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences Annual Conference. March 17, 2022.
“Risky Places For Crime-Safeplaces Network Seminar Series.” Measuring Fear in Risky Places. Yasemin Irvin-Erickson. Organized by KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm. April 29, 2021. Online seminar.
Identity Theft and Fraud: What Do We Know from Research and Practice, Center for Victim Research Webinar Speaker, January 2019.
“Criminal (In)Justice,” podcast guest, September 2017.