![grf-lallen-johnson.jpg Portrait of Lallen Johnson](/sites/g/files/xyckuh171/files/styles/large/public/images/2019-06/grf-lallen-johnson.jpg?itok=8680e-BN)
Lallen Johnson (2010 Fellow) is an assistant professor in the Department of Criminology and Justice Studies at Drexel University, where he conducts research on illicit drug markets and the violence that occurs around them. His most recent work considers how community, race and social structure correlate with spatially clustered violent crime outcomes. Writing a dissertation is an intellectually difficult and stressful process, he says. The support of GRF, however, allowed me to focus on producing high-quality work without worrying about how to finance my research. That added benefit put me in a good position to begin my career as a viable junior scholar.