Adriana Santos is a doctoral student at the Rutgers School of Criminal Justice whose research spans two distinct areas: police violence in Brazil and environmental criminology. Her current research on state violence examines how the risk of lethal police force varies across social groups. Separately, her work in environmental criminology focuses on place-based approaches to public safety, including spatial and temporal crime analysis, community violence, and data-informed community engagement.

Adriana also serves as Senior Program Manager for the Newark Public Safety Collaborative (NPSC), where she applies geospatial analytical techniques to interpret crime patterns and translate data into actionable public safety strategies. In this role, she collaborates with community organizations, city agencies, and other local stakeholders to co-develop crime prevention strategies that complement traditional law enforcement approaches. She also manages multiple community engagement projects that support and strengthen community-led responses to crime and violence.

Committed to bridging research and practice, Adriana draws on her academic training and professional experience to advance rigorous, evidence-informed, and policy-relevant approaches to public safety. She has presented her work on public safety, community violence, and state violence at academic and professional conferences across the United States, Latin America, and Europe.