Whytnee Silva is currently a PhD student in the department of Criminology and Criminal Justice. She entered the PhD program in the fall of 2011 as a Sutherland Fellow. She earned her Bachelor's degree, Summa Cum Laude, in just 3 years from Hampton University in 2011. Prior to attending the University of Maryland, Whytnee served as a research fellow at the National Institute of Mental Health and worked as a research assistant at Princeton University. 

Her current research addresses the role of historical context in shaping crime and justice among African-Americans. Whytnee is also interested in translating criminological theory into practice and the use of advanced statistical methods to predict offending patterns.