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Dr. Lidia Elena Nuno

  • Associate Professor - School of Criminal Justice & Criminology

Biography and education

Lidia E. Nuño joined the School of Criminal Justice and Criminology as an associate professor in 2022, and serves as the founding director of the Social Equity Research and Policy Lab. Dr. Nuño holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in psychology, criminology and criminal justice, and justice studies from Arizona State University. Dr. Nuño’s research and teaching interests include immigration, gangs, and policing. She has collaborated with several law enforcement agencies throughout the United States, and has worked with active and incarcerated offenders, including gang members and juveniles, and at-risk youth in the United States, Central America, and the Caribbean.

She has also served as project manager, project director, and lead analyst for United States Agency for International Development (USAID), United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and National Institute of Justice (NIJ) funded research projects. Dr. Nuño is currently the Principal Investigator in a National Institute of Justice (NIJ) funded project that examines immigration status and its relation to the likelihood of engaging in crime, gang membership, and experiencing violent victimization.

Teaching Interests

Research Interests

  • Nuno, Lidia Elena (Co-Principal). Local Enforcement of Federal Immigration Policies: An Analysis of Sanctuary Cities and 287g Jurisdictions, California State University, Fullerton, State, $14999. (Submitted: 2022, Funded: January 2023 - May 2023). Grant.
  • Nuno, Lidia Elena (Principal). Assessing the Relationship between Immigration Status, Crime, Gang Affiliation, and Victimization., National Institute of Justice, Federal, $462165. (Submitted: April 2020, Funded: January 2021 - August 2024). Grant.
  • Nuno, Lidia Elena (Co-Principal). Assessing Vulnerabilities, Experiences and Survivorship of Labor Trafficking Victims in Orange County, California State University, Fullerton, State, $15000. (Submitted: 2019, Funded: January 2020 - December 2021). Grant.
  • Nuno, L. E., Herrera, V., & Katz, C. (n.d.). Gender differences in gang participation trajectory: Results from a multinational sample of youth in the English-Speaking Caribbean. In Cross Cultural Perspectives on Gangs. Springer.
  • Nuno, L. E., Maguire, E., Fox, A., & Katz, C. (2025). Differences in ego networks between MS-13 gang members in Los Angeles and El Salvador. International Criminology. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1007/s43576-025-00164-6
  • Herrera, V., & Nuno, L. E. (n.d.). What is justice for victims? Barriers and successes of working with immigrant survivors of labor trafficking. In Human Trafficking: Anti-Oppressive Research, Policy, and Practice.
  • Nuno, L. E., Herrera, V., & Katza, C. (2025). Gender differences in gang participation in the English Speaking Caribbean: An assessment of mode of entry, criminal involvement, victimization and disengagement. Journal of Ethnicity in Criminal Justice. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1080/15377938.2025.2550461
  • Kovaleski, G. M., O’Brien, G. F., & Nuno, L. E. (n.d.). Beyond altruistic motivations: The impact of individual characteristics, perceptions of the police, and political ideology on interest in becoming a police officer. Policing: A Journal of Policy and Practice.
View all scholarly/creative works
  • Award / Honor Recipient: Best Article Award ($1,500), College of Humanities and Social Science, California State University, Fullerton. 2025
  • Award / Honor Recipient: Achievement Award in Excellence in Scholarly/Creative Activity, College of Applied Arts, Texas State University. 2023
  • Award / Honor Recipient: Recipient of the Spring 2022 Grant for Faculty Support on Scholarly or Creative Productivity ($5,000), California State University, Fullerton. 2022
  • Award / Honor Recipient: Recipient of the Excellence in Scholarly and Creative Activity Award, California State University, Fullerton. 2021
  • Award / Honor Recipient: Recipient of the Summer 2021 Grant for Faculty Support on Scholarly or Creative Productivity ($5,000), California State University, Fullerton. 2021
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  1. Member

    Speaker Series Committee, School of Criminal Justice and Criminology, Texas State University

  2. Member

    Doctoral Steering Committee, School of Criminal Justice and Criminology, Texas State University

  3. Member

    College Naming Committee, Texas State University

  4. Member

    Learning Management System (LMS) Steering Committee, Texas State University

  5. Member

    Senate Budget Committee, Texas State University

  6. Member

    Retirement and Benefits Programs Committee, Texas State University

  7. View all activities