Emily Troshynski holds a Ph.D. in criminology, law, and society from the University of California, Irvine (UCI), along with a graduate feminist emphasis (GFE) from the Department of Women’s Studies (now Gender and Sexuality Studies). She additionally earned a master of
science in sociology from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).

She is a full professor in the Department of Sociology at UNLV and serves on the graduate faculty for the criminal justice program, as well as affiliated faculty in the interdisciplinary gender and sexuality studies program and the William S. Boyd School of Law. Her research and teaching engage the intersections of law and society, gender and sexuality, surveillance, punishment, and community-based approaches to justice. As a critical criminologist and intersectional socio-legal scholar, she draws on feminist, abolitionist, and social justice frameworks to examine how institutional systems shape the lived experiences of marginalized communities—particularly those impacted by the legal system.

Troshynski has published extensively on topics including carceral surveillance, access to justice, gender-based violence, trauma-informed reentry, and the criminalization of LGBTQ+ individuals, unhoused populations, and others subjected to institutional control under the guise of protection or rescue. Her work appears in leading peer-reviewed journals such as Theoretical Criminology, Critical Criminology, Race and Justice, Contemporary Justice Review, Journal of Crime and Justice, and Criminal Justice and Behavior. She has also contributed chapters to edited volumes addressing mass incarceration, state violence, gender and sexuality, and community justice.

Her current research broadly explores institutional power, community-based justice, and the criminalization of marginalized identities and survival strategies. Ongoing field-based, mixed- methods studies examine holistic reentry programs, with a focus on peer mentorship, program outcomes, and how system-impacted individuals define “success” and “risk.” She also investigates how LGBTQIA+ youth experience carceral surveillance through school disciplinary practices and informal monitoring, particularly amid rising anti-LGBTQ legislation and educational restrictions. Other current projects include a study on faculty burnout in the context of institutional responses to gender-based discrimination and retaliation, as well as an investigation into legal consciousness, regulatory compliance, and contested workplace safety among marginalized labor groups.

Supported by federal, state, and local grants, Troshynski’s collaborative work is grounded in sustained partnerships with grassroots organizations, advocacy groups, international networks, system-impacted individuals, and other community members—centering their lived and experiential knowledge to shape policy and practice. Her scholarship has received international recognition, including the Bellow Scholar award from the American Association of Law Schools and visiting fellowships at the Regulatory Institutions Network at Australian National University and the School of Justice at Queensland University of Technology, experiences that continue to enrich her interdisciplinary and comparative research.

Beyond her academic work, Troshynski has held elected board positions with several Nevada- based nonprofits dedicated to education, advocacy, and advancing social justice and equity. She has also been appointed to statewide domestic violence committees by the Nevada Attorney General’s Office and served on various Clark County criminal justice committees and working groups addressing access to justice, gender-based violence, youth services, and systemic reform. Additionally, she has held elected leadership roles in national and international academic societies, where she promotes critical, interdisciplinary scholarship on justice, inequality, and social change.

At UNLV, Troshynski teaches a wide range of undergraduate and graduate courses, including critical criminology, feminist and gender theory, surveillance and social control, social inequality, law and society, special topics in family law, and both general and qualitative research methods—with an emphasis on community-based and participatory action research. Her teaching integrates experiential learning, real-world application, and inclusive, equity-centered pedagogy. She regularly mentors students as active research collaborators and supports independent study and graduate research projects grounded in community engagement.