This week, it's just Jenn and Jose. This will be the last episode of our Grad Life series. We talk about what we consider success to be and our advice to students currently undergoing the grueling ordeal that is grad school.

Gary LaFree is a Professor in the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice and the Founding Director of the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) at the University of Maryland. He is a past president of the American Society of Criminology and the 2024 recipient of the Stockholm Prize. His research is on the causes and consequences of violent crime and terrorism. His most recent books are The Handbook of the Criminology of Terrorism (with Josh Freilich), Countering Terrorism (with Martha Crenshaw), and Toward a Criminology of Terrorism.

Special topics highlighted in this episode include the beginning of Gary’s career, his contributions to criminology, and his thoughts on the discipline.

This week, as part of our grad life series, we spoke with Chloe Haimson and Stephen Oliphant about their experiences finding, applying, and interviewing for postdoc positions.

Chloe Haimson is Director of Research of the Justice Policy Lab @the Watson Institute for International & Public Affairs at Brown University. Previously, she was a postdoctoral fellow in the Prison Education Program at New York University where she taught ethnography at Wallkill Correctional Facility. Her current work investigates the decisions parole agents make during their everyday work routines, how these choices influence the trajectories of individuals on parole after prison, and their consequences for the expansion of punishment in the U.S. She received her Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2022.

Stephen Oliphant is a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Michigan Institute for Firearm Injury Prevention. He received his PhD in criminal justice from Michigan State University in 2023. His interdisciplinary background includes training in the fields of public policy, criminal justice, and injury prevention. His research is primarily focused on firearm policy and the evaluation of interventions that address firearm injury and violence more broadly.