Shelly M. Wagers

• Associate Professor of Criminology, University of South Florida

Dr. Shelly M. Wagers is an Associate Professor of Criminology and Associate Director of the USF Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Lab, where she leads applied research to strengthen coordinated responses to human trafficking and interpersonal violence. She directs the BRIGHT Project, a statewide, evidence-based digital platform she helped design to integrate survivor services and improve access to individualized, trauma-informed resources. Dr. Wagers earned her B.S. in Public Health Education from the University of North Carolina Greensboro and her M.A. and Ph.D. in Criminology from the University of South Florida. With over 25 years of experience as an advocate, law enforcement officer, and researcher, she specializes in developing researcher-practitioner partnerships and conducting field-based studies that inform evidence-based policies and programs. Her expertise in human trafficking, coercive control, power dynamics, and intervention strategies underpins her peer-reviewed publications and is the basis for her frequent invitations to speak, consult, and present at national forums.

• 2020–present Associate Director Trafficking In Persons Risk to Resilience Lab, University South Florida
• 2022–present Associate Professor of Criminology, University South Florida
• 2020–present Director BRIGHT Project, University South Florida
• 2018–2022 Assistant Professor of Criminology, University South Florida
• 2014–2018 Assistant Professor Criminology, Radford University

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