Kay S. Varela, PhD

Dr. Kay S. Varela is an Assistant Professor in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice (CCJ) at Arizona State University. Dr. Varela received her PhD in Sociology from Texas A&M University in 2020. Dr. Varela’s research focuses on Critical Race Theory; critical race criminology and punishment; community and school safety; juvenile justice; and qualitative methods. Specifically, her research takes an intersectional and critical race approach to the question, "Safe for whom?" and questions dominant narratives of safety and security to highlight the safety experiences of marginalized communities. Dr. Varela is an expert in various forms of qualitative methods including ethnography, community engaged methods, discourse analysis, and intensive interviewing and has worked both with both interdisciplinary academic research teams and community organizations. Her research can be found published in journals such as Critical Criminology; Urban Education; Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice; and Sociology of Race and Ethnicity. Dr. Varela was previously a Presidential Postdoctoral Scholar in CCJ and a Postdoctoral Scholar in the Dworak-Peck School of Social Work at the University of Southern California.