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

Adriana also serves as Program Manager for the Newark Public Safety Collaborative (NPSC), where she applies geospatial analytical techniques to interpret crime data and collaborates with community organizations, city agencies, and other local stakeholders to co-develop crime prevention strategies that complement traditional law enforcement. She currently manages multiple community engagement initiatives under a Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) grant that tests new community-driven responses to crime.

Committed to bridging research and practice, Adriana integrates her academic skills with her professional knowledge to advance rigorous, policy-relevant public safety strategies. 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.