My research and applied interests are focused broadly on conflict and restorative approaches to conflict, especially racial conflict. For students interested in learning more about restorative justice, I teach two undergraduate courses: PSYC 339: Restorative Justice: Principles and Methods and PSYC 496: Restorative Justice in Mainstream Systems. There are also sometimes opportunities for undergraduates to sit in on workshops and presentations.

Since COVID, my scholarship has been mostly descriptive and conceptual, including a history and overview of restorative justice in Illinois, for an international encyclopedia. I also continue to be interested in evaluating the implementation of different restorative practices using a combination of survey and qualitative methods in order to (a) improve implementation and (b) better understand the individual and group-level changes associated with a transition to addressing conflict and harm restoratively. I work in a variety of contexts, including the criminal justice system, the education system, organizations, and intentional communities.

Interested in Psych 290 credit?

Motivated, high-achieving undergraduate students who are interested in this work are encouraged to contact me about research opportunities (for Psyc 290 credit). Please note that I typically receive more requests than I can accept. This is the typical gateway for undergraduate students to learn more about restorative justice, but I also sometimes agree to supervise honors projects related to restorative justice from students not in the lab. Interested students should contact me via email: lyubansk@illinois.edu.

Letters of Recommendation

Students requesting a letter of recommendation for graduate school should be prepared to send to me the following in a single email: an unofficial transcript, a resume or CV (if available), a personal statement, and a list of schools/deadlines to which they are applying. Letter requests for scholarships or jobs should include the first two items.