Sydney received her BS in Biochemistry and Psychology from Stony Brook University and her MA in Criminology and Criminal Justice from the University of Maryland.

Sydney worked as a research assistant for Dr. Sarah Tahamont for 4 years working on multiple projects, including the evaluations of intervention programs and higher education programs in jail and prison. She was also the teaching assistant for the graduate-level statistics course, causal inference course, and the undergraduate introductory to criminal justice course. She taught two years of Math Camp, a statistics and programming preparation course for incoming graduate students. Sydney has also worked as a research assistant for Drs. Sally Simpson and Gary LaFree. She is currently a research analyst at the Consent Decree Implementation Unit (CDIU) and the Data Driven Strategies Division (DDSD) under the Baltimore Police Department. 

Her dissertation, chaired by Dr. Bianca Bersani, examines how geospatial context impacts the effect of the Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) on criminal justice outcomes for youth in New York City. Specifically, she explores how the communities where youth live and law enforcement activity in their neighborhood shape SYEP's effect on crime. 

Sydney was recently awarded the Graduate School Outstanding Graduate Assistant Award and the Summer Research Fellowship.

Areas of Interest

  • Adolescent Development
  • Policy & Program Evaluation
  • Decision Making
  • Quantitative Methods
CV:

Degrees

  • Degree Type
    B.S.
    Degree Details
    Biochemistry and Psychology, Stony Brook University (2018)
  • Degree Type
    M.A.
    Degree Details
    Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of Maryland (2021)

Awards

  • Dr. Anat Kimchi Memorial Graduate Travel Award (2023)
  • Graduate School Summer Research Fellowship (2023)
  • Outstanding Graduate Assistant Award (2023)
  • Graduate School Dean’s Fellowship (2020 & 2021)
  • 3-Minute Thesis Campus-Level Finalist & College-Level Award Winner (2021)

Conferences

profile pic
2220 LeFrak Hall
Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice
Email
hjaw [at] umd.edu