Yasemin Irvin-Erickson

Yasemin Irvin-Erickson

Yasemin Irvin-Erickson

Assistant Professor

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.

Current Research

Ongoing Externally Funded Projects

Collaborative Research: The Impact of Covid-19 on Victimization Risk and Service Needs for Domestic Violence Victims and Survivors (September 2021 - Current)

  • Amount: US$343,241 (George Mason University Amount: $149,236)
  • Funder: National Science Foundation
  • Role: Co-principal Investigator (with Co-PI Dr. Mangai Natarajan)
  • Project Partner: John Jay College of Criminal Justice

Coalition to Enhance the Capacity of Policing Mental Health Problems in Virginia (March 2022 - Current)

  • Amount: $1,483,000
  • Role: Co-principal investigator (with PI Dr. Sue-Ming Yang)
  • Funder: Bureau of Justice Assistance 

Ongoing University-funded or unfunded research projects

Enablers and Barriers of Refugees’ Safe, Voluntary, and Sustained Returns

  • Amount: $14,000
  • Role: Co-Principal investigator (with Co-PI Dr. Douglas Irvin-Erickson)
  • Funding source: George Mason University Faculty Research Development Award 

Identity Theft Victimization Among University Students, Faculty, and Staff Members

  • Role: Co-Principal Investigator (with Co-PI Dr. Nerea Marteache Solans)

Selected Publications

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.

Grants and Fellowships

Past Grants (Completed Projects)

Mapping for Policy, “A Whole Journey Approach to Tackling Sexual Victimization in Public Transit”
 (2017-2019)

  • Role: Principal Investigator

  • Amount: US$100,000
  • Funder: Sexual Violence Research Initiative and World Bank Group Development Marketplace for Innovation on Gender-based Violence Prevention Award

Systematic Review of Barriers to, and Facilitators of Women’s Participation in High Productivity Labor Market Sectors (2017-2019)

  • Role: Senior Reviewer
  • Funder: DFID
  • Amount: US$86,000


Survey of State Attorney General Offices (2015-2020)

  • Role: Co-principal Investigator
  • Funder: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Department of Justice
  • Amount: US$449,735

Rutgers Violence Against Women Research Consortium (Sub-contract to Rutgers University; 2017-2018)


  • Role: Consortium Core Faculty
  • Funder: National Institute of Justice
  • Amount: US$166,000 base funding with potential for increase as research tasks are assigned

Harnessing the Power of Businesses in Responding to Refugee Crises: A  Blueprint for Improved Humanitarian-Private Sector Collaboration (2016-2018)

  • Role: Co-principal Investigator
  • Funder: U.S. Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration
  • Amount: US$199,432

Harnessing the Power of Businesses in Responding to Refugee Crises: A Blueprint for Improved Humanitarian-Private Sector Collaboration (2016-2017)

  • Role: Co-principal Investigator
  • Funder: U.S. Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration
  • Amount: US$199,432

Making Growth Work for Women in Low Income Countries Research Consortium (2015-2017)

  • Role: Co-PI and Project Manager (Lead Investigators: Dr. Elizabeth Peters and Dr. Nan Astone)
  • Funder: Canada’s International Development Research Centre, U.K.’s DFID, and Hewlett Foundation
  • Amount:  US$1,639,486

Understanding the Economic Impact of Gun Violence (2015-2017)

  • Funder: Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund
  • Role: Principal Investigator 
  • Amount: US$400,000

Economic Impact of Refugees on Host Communities: Social Networks, Economic Vulnerability, and Resilience among Urban Refugees in Kenya, Turkey, and Pakistan (2015-2017)      

  • Role: Investigator
  • Funder: U.S. Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration
  • Amount:  US$200,000

Analyzing Crime Patterns and Trends in the Washington, DC Metropolitan Area: Documenting the Value of Cross-Agency and Cross-Jurisdictional Data Integration (2014-2015)

  • Role: Acting Co-principal Investigator
  • Funder: National Institute of Justice
  • Amount: US$689,507

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)

 

Courses Taught

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)

Education

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.

Recent Presentations

“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.

 

In the Media

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.