Meet the Team

Fernando J. Guerra

Office: University Hall 4119
Phone: 310.338.4565
Email: fguerra@lmu.edu

Fernando J. Guerra, professor of political science and Chicana/o studies, is the founding director of the Center for the Study of Los Angeles at LMU. Guerra has served on standing commissions, blue ribbon committees, and ad hoc task forces for the City of Los Angeles, the State of California, and regional bodies in Southern California. He is a source for the media at the local, national, and international level and has published in the area of state and local government and urban and ethnic politics. He earned his doctorate in Political Science from the University of Michigan and his BA from the University of Southern California.

Curriculum Vitae
Faculty ExpertFile

 

 

Brianne Gilbert

Office: University Hall 4114
Phone: 310.338.1779
Email: brianne.gilbert@lmu.edu

Brianne Gilbert is the managing director for StudyLA where she has led numerous studies involving voter polls, public opinion research, and leaders/elite surveys. She also is a senior lecturer at LMU in the departments of political science and urban and environmental studies, teaching courses on political internships, GIS (geographic information systems), and geospatial research. Gilbert also has served as a consultant in the fields of sociology, anthropology, GIS, methodology, and public opinion research. She also is the author of Statistics in the Social Sciences: Inferential Statistics as Rhetoric in Sociology. Gilbert received her B.A. from Wittenberg University and her M.A. from Florida International University.

Curriculum Vitae

Lindsey Hendren, Ph.D.

Office: University Hall 4112
Phone: 310.338.4565
Email: lindsey.hendren@lmu.edu 

Lindsey Hendren is the research associate for the Center for the Study of Los Angeles. With her training in political science, her work has examined the various facets of public opinion on environmental matters as well as partisan nature. Hendren received her Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of South Carolina. Her current interests include the relationships between extreme weather events, partisanship, and public opinion on global climate change.

Curriculum Vitae

Alejandra Alarcon

Alejandra Alarcon is the communications manager for StudyLA. She promotes StudyLA's research by developing mission-driven communication strategies with a focus on data reportage. She works with project leads across the research team to create standalone data visualizations and accompanying communication materials for data releases. She assists the director and managing director with outreach and engagement efforts, leading StudyLA’s student engagement efforts at LMU. Alejandra earned her B.A. in Chicana/o and Latina/o Studies at LMU. She serves on the university's Staff Senate and as the moderator for Marians Service Organization.

Curriculum Vitae

alejandra.alarcon@lmu.edu

Jorge Cortes

Office: University Hall 4119
Phone: 310.338.4565
Email: jorge.cortes@lmu.edu

Jorge Cortes is a research coordinator for the Center for the Study of Los Angeles. He works closely with the Director and Associate Director, managing communications as office manager and providing budgetary and administrative assistance. He also assists with planning and support for StudyLA's research projects, conferences, lectures, and special events. Prior to joining StudyLA, he has worked in education and community-based organizations in San Francisco, New York, and Madrid, Spain. Cortes earned his BA in Sociology from San Francisco State University

Julian Samuels

Julian Samuels is a research assistant at StudyLA where he supports the associate director and research associate with the development of major projects by conducting background research during the design stage and assisting with data collection, processing, analysis, and dissemination. Prior to joining StudyLA, he conducted independent musicological research worked abroad in social impact consulting in Beijing and Hong King. Julian earned his B.A. in Sociology from Stanford University.

Curriculum Vitae

julian.samuels@lmu.edu

 

Viola Chow

Viola Chow is a research assistant at StudyLA where she works closely with the managing director and research associate on research design, data collection, data processing, and data analysis. She provides administrative support for major projects. Prior to joining StudyLA, she was an outreach coordinator for the Burkle Center for International Relations and an article writer for the Borgen Project. Viola earned her B.A. in political science and international development from UCLA.

Curriculum Vitae

viola.chow@lmu.edu