Everytown Research — the national research arm of Everytown for Gun Safety — has named Sonali Rajan, Professor of Health Promotion and Applied Educational Psychology at Teachers College, as its Senior Research Director – effective summer 2025.

Everytown Research conducts independent, methodologically rigorous, and interdisciplinary research on gun violence across the nation, working to identify the best policies, interventions, and resources to prevent and meaningfully address gun violence across the U.S. through evidence-based solutions.

In her new role, Rajan will bring her extensive research and leadership expertise in the field of gun violence prevention to the Everytown team, drawing largely on insights from her comprehensive research and various roles over the last twelve years in gun violence prevention. 

“I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to step into this leadership role at this moment and with such an extraordinary team of colleagues,” shares Rajan, whose research centers on gun violence prevention, school safety and adverse childhood experiences. “Our collective research field has done so much over the last few years to advance meaningful progress on gun violence across the nation, an issue that tragically impacts thousands of Americans every year and is the current leading cause of death among children and teens in the U.S.”

Rajan will serve while on sabbatical and a research leave from Teachers College, where she will remain on faculty concurrently with her appointment. 

“For more than twelve years, Rajan has made significant contributions to the TC community and beyond, profoundly shaping our understanding of gun violence, awareness, and prevention — one of the most pressing global challenges of our time,” said President Thomas Bailey. “We eagerly anticipate the impactful work she will accomplish in her new role at Everytown.”

In her new role and together with the Everytown Research team, Rajan will lead the organization’s data-driven efforts to understand and prevent gun violence through rigorous, evidence-based research. In this role, she will oversee a multidisciplinary team, guide strategic research initiatives, and serve as a public voice for Everytown’s findings. Her leadership will help ensure that policy and other critical translational efforts ​are grounded in the most accurate and impactful data available​.

“We are thrilled to welcome a deeply respected leader in the gun violence prevention research community, Dr. Sonali Rajan, as Everytown’s new Senior Research Director,” said Nick Suplina, Senior Vice President of Law & Policy at Everytown for Gun Safety. “Her expertise will be instrumental in taking our team’s groundbreaking research to new heights, will deepen our understanding of the gun violence epidemic, and will accelerate life-saving solutions at a pivotal time.”

Watch Now: Sonali Rajan on CBS News

Over the years, working closely with her team, Rajan has led a highly productive, collaborative, and federally funded research program addressing gun violence prevention, child health, and public policy. Her research has provided compelling evidence that firearm violence is an adverse childhood experience and has informed specific actions that schools, communities, and policymakers should take to reduce violence exposures and ensure opportunities for children to thrive. 

“Sonali Rajan’s data-driven, collaborative, interdisciplinary and engaged approach to gun violence prevention and research is groundbreaking,” shared KerryAnn O’Meara, Vice President for Academic Affairs, Provost, and Dean of the College. “TC is so proud of the leadership role she will take on with Everytown for Gun Safety, which will accelerate the ability of such research to change policies, communities and lives.”

Rajan also has a secondary faculty appointment in the Department of Epidemiology at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. From 2022-2024, she served as the Inaugural President of the Research Society for the Prevention of Firearm-Related Harms, the first research society in the field.

“Along with hundreds of scientists across the country, I remain deeply committed to addressing this devastating public health and safety crisis and am so excited to have this opportunity to actively support Everytown's mission and movement,” added Rajan.

— Jacqueline Teschon