About UAB Social Science and Justice Research

UAB Social Science and Justice Research is a pilot initiative of the University-Wide Interdisciplinary Research Centers Program (UWIRC). SSJR serves as UAB's focal point for academic research studying and addressing issues of social justice and equity. SSJR offers:

Cutting-edge research relating to access, inclusion, equity, justice, and human rights

SSJR brings perspectives of social justice and equity to the forefront of scientific research at UAB. It positions UAB as a leader in research in diversity, access, and inclusion by prioritizing systemic and structural perspectives affecting underserved and marginalized communities that experience inequities, injustices, and lack of inclusion and access. SSJR engages in multi-level research processes organized around four intersecting core initiatives:

Evidence-based scientific solutions to social problems centering underrepresented communities

SSJR’s mission is to amplify empirical and evidence-based solutions to some of the most critical global-, national-, and local-level social problems facing our society. To do this work, SSJR engages with local, national, and international community partners that represent groups most affected by injustices, inequity, and exclusion. Using mixed methods scientific research, including quantitative, qualitative, and community-based participatory approaches, SSJR facilitates collaborative research among researchers in the social sciences, between social scientists and researchers outside the social sciences, and between researchers and community partners.

Training and professional development for researchers incorporating a justice- and equity-focused lens

SSJR serves as a central platform for scientific research and training in the social sciences and in justice-related fields. For researchers at all levels, SSJR offers opportunities to learn how to incorporate a social science lens into their existing research agenda, how to implement community-based and multistakeholder research processes, and how to use social science methods in non-social science fields. SSJR trains scholars across campus who aspire to incorporate a social justice lens into their existing research agenda.