Dr. Jennifer Turner is a Senior Research Associate at the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR), where she works to break down barriers to education for student parents and advance inclusive, equitable workplaces for Black women. At IWPR, Dr. Turner leads several major projects, including a qualitative study on improving academic outcomes for Black single mother students and an initiative focused on strengthening work environments for Black women social workers.

Before joining IWPR, Dr. Turner was an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Hollins University, where she directed the Sociology program and taught courses on a variety of topics, including gender, family, and reproductive justice. Her research has been published in Sociology of Race and Ethnicity, Social Currents, and the Journal of Women and Gender in Higher Education, and she has been featured in outlets such as Inside Higher Ed, U.S. News & World Report, and The Washington Post.

She holds a bachelor’s degree from James Madison University, a master’s degree from Old Dominion University, and a Ph.D. in Sociology from Virginia Tech. Committed to making research accessible and actionable, Dr. Turner engages audiences ranging from policymakers to practitioners with insights that drive systemic change.