Rockefeller Institute of Government

09/16/2026

We are so excited to welcome the Regional Gun Violence Research Consortium's inaugural postdoctoral research fellow: Dr. Caleb Cuthbertson! Caleb's research centers on the psychological and relational impacts of fi***rm injuries on individuals, families, and communities, and we're looking forward to showcasing his research as it evolves over the next couple of years.

Caleb will also expand the Consortium's in-house research expertise in the areas of community violence prevention and fi***rm-involved violence survivorship.

In the full announcement, which you can read below, RGVRC Executive Director Jaclyn Schildkraut said, "Caleb brings a valuable interdisciplinary perspective and expertise that will strengthen our work and create new opportunities to advance rigorous, policy-relevant research on fi***rm violence and its prevention. We are incredibly grateful to Governor Hochul and the New York State Legislature for their continued support of the Consortium, which made this important investment in our research team possible."

Our blog also features a quick Q&A with Caleb about his research, what motivates him, and what he hopes people will take away from the work he is doing. Check it out: https://rockinst.org/blog/rgvrc-member-highlight-caleb-cuthbertson/

Read the full announcement: https://rockinst.org/news/article/rgvrc-welcomes-caleb-cuthbertson/

09/10/2026

We're thrilled to announce our third cohort of New York State Science Policy Fellows! These PhD scientists are working with the New York State executive and legislature to bring additional scientific expertise to bear on important policy problems. The program, generously supported by the Simons Foundation and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, bridges gaps between the science and policy communities. The fellows are:

🥼 Olivia Asher
PhD in Bioinformatics from the University of Georgia
Placed in New York State Assembly Program and Counsel

🥼 Emily Costa
PhD in Chemistry from the University of Michigan
Placed in New York State Senate Finance Committee

🥼 Viet Dinh
PhD in Biomedical Sciences from The University of North Texas
Placed in New York State Department of Health, Office of Science

🥼 Hannah LeBlanc
PhD in Biology from Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Placed in State University of New York (SUNY) Office of the Chancellor under Policy Implementation and Access Initiatives

🥼 Briana McRae
PhD in Neurobiology and Behavior from Columbia University
Placed in New York State Department of Health, Division of Family Health

🥼 Cody Shaw
PhD in Chemistry from Stony Brook University
Placed in New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

Learn more about the fellows: https://rockinst.org/news/article/rockefeller-institute-of-government-welcomes-third-cohort-of-new-york-state-science-policy-fellows/

08/31/2026

On a new episode of Policy Outsider, Regional Gun Violence Research Consortium Executive Director Jaclyn Schildkraut explores a program in Washington State that delivers to high school students an evidence-informed education on how to reduce fi***rm injuries and deaths.

On this episode of Policy Outsider, we explore a program in Washington State that delivers to high school students an evidence-informed education on how to reduce fi***rm injury.

08/21/2026

Between 2010 and 2021, the rate of fi***rm homicides among US men aged 50 and older increased 87 percent, yet research has largely focused on younger victims or grouped older adults into broad age categories. In a new blog, RGVRC Affiliate Scholars Lynn Addington & Wendy Regoeczi highlight their new research examining how the characteristics and contexts of fi***rm-involved homicides vary among older men at different ages. The findings challenge stereotypes about older victims and highlight the need for more nuanced research and prevention strategies.

Read the blog: https://rockinst.org/blog/rethinking-older-men-as-victims-of-fi***rm-involved-homicides-differences-across-ages-and-contexts/

08/20/2026

With Executive Order 62 signed in mid-July, New York State Governor Kathy Hochul established a temporary moratorium on proposed data centers over 50 megawatts in the state, the first such ban in the nation. The executive order (EO) follows on the heels of legislation passed by the state senate and assembly that sought to do much the same: pause the buildout of big data center projects while the State sorts out what the impacts are, updates its regulatory frameworks, and ensures localities and residents aren't left holding the bag for these energy- and water-intensive facilities.

The latest analysis from Rockefeller Institute researchers Mathilda Scott & Laura Rabinow details the differences in the legislation and the EO, and introduces the NYS Data Centers Dashboard, a new resource for keeping track of all the proposed projects and responding legislation.

📝 Analysis: https://rockinst.org/blog/pushing-back-on-the-cloud-the-first-statewide-moratorium/

📊 Dashboard: https://rockinst.org/issue-areas/economic-development/nys-data-centers-dashboard/

Visualizing operating facilities, proposed developments, local municipal moratoriums, and state legislation across New York State.

08/04/2026

Get to know Amanda Nickerson, director of the Alberti Center for Bullying Abuse Prevention at the University at Buffalo, in our latest RGVRC member highlight. Her research focuses on gun violence prevention in schools. She takes a systems-oriented approach to this work & places an emphasis on translating research → practice.

Read the highlight: https://rockinst.org/blog/rgvrc-member-highlight-amanda-nickerson/

07/28/2026

In the last decade, one of the most significant transformations in American gun policy has been the widespread adoption of permitless carry laws. Since 2013, 29 states have passed permitless carry laws, which allow gun owners to carry a concealed handgun in public without first obtaining a license or undergoing a background check. In our latest blog, Affiliate Scholar Susan Parker highlights findings from her recently published study examining the effects.

Read the blog:

A new study by RGVRC affiliate scholar, Susan Parker, finds that permitless carry laws are linked to higher fi***rm violence and reduced police enforcement of weapons laws.

07/15/2026

"I hope people who engage with my work take away a sense of the deep challenges that Black men who survive a gunshot wound face when seeking to heal from their injuries and the need for our modes of caring to rise to these challenges."

Meet William Wical in the latest member highlight from the Regional Gun Violence Research Consortium:

Meet William Wical, an RGVRC affiliate scholar researching how Black male gunshot survivors experience healing, trauma, and care to inform more effective violence prevention efforts.

07/07/2026

On our latest episode of Policy Outsider, we showcase a project that is an antidote to our polarized world. Bridging the Divide on Fi***rm Policy is a coalition of stakeholders who represent many perspectives on fi***rms in America—gun owners, gun rights and Second Amendment activists, advocates for gun regulations, fi***rm dealers, fi***rm instructors, legislators; the list goes on.

The goal of this coalition? To create a sustainable, broadly supported policy roadmap that improves gun violence prevention while protecting constitutional rights.

Guest host Jaclyn Schildkraut interviews Regional Gun Violence Research Consortium scholars Michael Siegel, the group's facilitator, and David Yamane, a member of the coalition.

Listen wherever you get your podcasts or on our website:

On this episode of Policy Outsider, scholars with the Regional Gun Violence Research Consortium showcase the work of Bridging the Divide on Fi***rm Policy, a coalition of stakeholders across the fi***rm rights and regulation spectrum working to create a sustainable broadly supported policy roadmap t...

06/22/2026

While mass shootings occur more frequently in the United States, they are not a uniquely American phenomenon.

Today, we're sharing a new resource from the Regional Gun Violence Research Consortium (RGVRC): the Global Mass Shooting Factsheet. This factsheet is designed to share high-level details on public mass shootings across the globe and further contextualize the occurrence of these events in the United States.

Read the blog introducing the factsheet: https://rockinst.org/blog/introducing-the-global-mass-shooting-factsheet/

View the Global Mass Shooting Factsheet: https://rockinst.org/gun-violence/global-mass-shooting-factsheet/

A high-level overview of public mass shootings across the globe from the Regional Gun Violence Research Consortium.