In Memoriam: Jenessa Shapiro

Jenessa Shapiro, Associate Professor with appointments in UCLA’s Psychology Department and the Anderson School of Management, and an expert in stereotype threat, discrimination and prejudices, died Dec. 6 after a long illness. She was 38.

Shapiro was an award-winning scholar of stereotype threat and prejudice in intergroup relations and she had a reputation as a rigorous and creative researcher. She sought to understand prejudice and discrimination from the perspective of those who hold them as well as those targeted by them. It was not easy work, as she often conducted research within hard-to-recruit populations, including women in traditionally male-dominated fields and underserved minority populations. We here in CEILS were privileged to work with Professor Shapiro and appreciate her expert contributions to our workshops for faculty and graduate student teaching assistants. Our sincere condolences to her family, friends, and colleagues. We are grateful for the positive impact she made during her time with us.

Learn more about Janessa’s work and impact from UCLA newsroom.