Jean Kjellstrand, PhD, is an assistant professor in the College of Education. Her research and teaching interests focus on positive youth development and interventions to prevent problematic behavior among children in vulnerable situations. Dr. Kjellstrand's most recent research examines 1) the impact of parental incarceration on children and the specific mechanisms through which risk is transmitted, and 2) interventions to support incarcerated parents and their children both during the parents’ incarceration and after release. As a prevention scientist, she uses quantitative, qualitative, and intervention research approaches to examine the role of key malleable individual, family, and community factors on the development of children of incarcerated parents. Then, working closely with organizations and communities within a participatory framework, she uses this information to help guide the development and testing of interventions to strengthen and support families. Her work is informed and guided by her previous career as a social worker where she developed and coordinated a variety of individual, group, and community interventions for children and families in high-risk circumstances.