Emily Wright is a principal research associate in the Justice Policy Center at the Urban Institute. Her research focuses on victimization among marginalized populations, community effects, and effective correctional practices. She has published more than 90 articles, chapters, and reports on these topics and has received funding from federal, state, and foundation sources to conduct research. She is also a member of the Cherokee Nation. Wright has 18 years of experience conducting research and teaching in higher education institutions, with a skill set that includes research design and methodology, mixed-methods research, community-based participatory research, translational research, and mentorship.

Throughout her career, Wright has worked to improve the criminal justice response to victim-survivors of crime through research and data-driven solutions. Her work has contributed to the knowledge base regarding gender-responsive programming; the impacts of victimization on offending behavior, adjustment to confinement, and recidivism; the impacts of social and community characteristics on family violence; and the ways criminal justice agencies, policies, and actors can be more trauma-informed and responsive to victim-survivors. Her recent research is featured in Child Abuse & Neglect, the Journal of Interpersonal Violence, and Trauma, Violence, & Abuse. She received her PhD from the University of Cincinnati.