L&S is proud to welcome dozens of new faculty members this year, across each of our four divisions. Our New Faculty Q&A series offers a closer look at their research and interests.
Name: LB Klein
Preferred pronouns: she/her or they/them
Title: Anna Julia Cooper Post-Doctoral Fellow and Incoming Assistant Professor, Sandra Rosenbaum School of Social Work
Hometown: Stony Brook, NY
What is your educational/professional background: I work at the intersection of social work, public health, public policy, and education. After attending Washington University in St. Louis for my BA and clinical MSW, I worked in various capacities to prevent and respond to sexual assault and intimate partner violence on campuses and in communities. While I traveled around the U.S. and Canada as a consultant, trainer, and evaluator, I completed a certificate in LGBT health from Drexel University and an MPA from the Program on Gender-Based Violence at the University of Colorado-Denver. I then went to University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to train as an intervention researcher by completing my PhD in social work. My research-to-practice and practice-to-research approach has been shaped by eight years working with Prevention Innovations Research Center at the University of New Hampshire.
How did you get into your field?
I started volunteering on a rape crisis hotline in college. Crisis intervention and clinical work led me to want to stop sexual and intimate partner violence before they happen through prevention. As a queer non-binary person, I saw how LGBTQ+ communities were frequently left out of the discourse on preventing and responding to gender-based violence despite facing disproportionate harm. I wanted to be a part of changing cultures to better support survivors and prevent violence before it happens.
What drew you to UW-Madison?
I was hired as a part of the Sexual Violence: Connecting Social Science Research with Policy cluster, and UW-Madison felt like a place where I could work collaboratively across silos and disciplines to address complex problems.
What was your first visit to campus like, and what’s your favorite place so far?
I arrived on campus in August as I interviewed during COVID. I was excited about how easy it is to get around by bicycle. Favorite place on campus? I love all the beautiful outdoor spots, like the Terrace.
What do you most look forward to?
I look forward to having an office after writing my entire dissertation in my bedroom. My twin toddlers are wonderful, but they are terrible research assistants.
How does your work relate to the Wisconsin Idea?
I believe that we can develop interventions at UW-Madison that will help us to end gender-based violence on our own campus, in Wisconsin, across the U.S., and globally.
What’s something interesting about your area of expertise you can share that will make us sound smarter at parties?
Remember at the party that you can be a part of preventing sexual violence. If you notice that someone is receiving unwanted attention or is too drunk to consent, chances are that someone else is noticing it too but isn’t sure what to do. Enlist support from others at the party to check in with either person, help people get home safely, or create a distraction. You can help stop sexual violence before it happens.
Hobbies and interests?
Going to the UW Arboretum with my spouse and identical twins, reading/watching science fiction, cooking from scratch, bicycling, long walks.