Alex Shulman, M.A., is a Research Assistant at the Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation at Boston University, where he has worked since early 2021. He is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University, with a B.S. in Social and Cultural History, and of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, with an M.A. in United States and Latin American History. Additionally, he completed a user experience design immersive course at General Assembly, a computer and digital technology school, and added user experience background research and usability testing to his skillset. Through his educational and professional background in history, his first professional positions included working as a guide and researcher at a number of museums and historic sites in the Greater Boston area.
His work at the Center includes qualitative data analysis for a study exploring workplace stigma resistance among peer support specialists and fidelity assessments for a Vocational Empowerment Photovoice series of courses. He is currently working on a grant about state-level policies and older individuals with serious mental illness.
Prior to his work at BU, he was a research and design team assistant at C4 Innovations, a mission-driven small business that advances recovery, wellness, and housing stability for people who are marginalized. During his 7 years at C4, he collaborated on several Small Business Innovation Research projects which identified the ways that young adults with schizophrenia use social media. Additionally, he assisted with user testing and data analysis of a motivational interviewing simulator, qualitative data analysis of the connections between racism and homelessness, and a video game for young people with psychosis. He also worked on the design phase of these projects by assisting in quality assurance, usability testing, and accessibility compliance.
He identifies as a person in long term recovery from mental health and substance use and uses his recovery journey to inform his work.