CYFS Faculty
Staff
Amanda Prokasky, Ph.D.
Senior Research Specialist
BiographyAmanda Prokasky
As senior research specialist, Prokasky provides analytical, methodological and data management support for a variety of projects in the MAP Academy. She has expertise in quantitative methods, project management and program evaluation. Her research interests include family economics and poverty, early childhood and family policy, childcare quality, access and affordability, and child sleep and temperament. Prokasky earned her doctorate in Human Sciences with a specialization in Child Development/Early Childhood Education and a minor in Statistics and Measurement from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.
Graduate Research Assistants
Alexis Chavez
Graduate Research Assistant
BiographyAlexis Chavez
Alexis Chavez is a doctoral student in the Quantitative, Qualitative & Psychometric Methods program. He is interested in nonverbal communication analysis in mixed methods research.
Genevieve Dashiell
Graduate Research Assistant
BiographyGenevieve Dashiell
Genevieve Bryson Dashiell is a doctoral student in the Counseling Psychology program. She has research interests in the interactions between sexual satisfaction and marginalization.
Weiman Xu
Graduate Research Assistant
BiographyWeiman Xu
Weiman Xu is a doctoral student in the Global Family Health and Well-Being program. She is interested in longitudinal data analysis and mixture models.
Postdoctoral Fellows
Jamy Rentschler, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow
BiographyJamy Rentschler
Jamy Rentschler earned her Ph.D. from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in Sociology with a minor in Quantitative, Qualitative and Psychometric Methods (QQPM). She is a quantitative researcher whose research interests include social inequalities more broadly, and specifically the intersection of race, politics and religious affiliation as it relates to poverty and public policy.
Raynimol (Rayni) Thomas, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow
BiographyRaynimol (Rayni) Thomas
Rayni Thomas is a post-doctoral fellow and collaborates on multiple projects. She completed her Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Science at the University of Arizona. Grounded in cultural-ecological and developmental perspectives, Rayni's research interests focus on identifying and understanding individual, cultural and familial assets that support the adjustment and well-being of Latinx youth.