Jean Rhodes' interests include mentoring relationships, risk and protective factors in adolescent development, emerging adulthood, preventive interventions, and the bridging of research, practice, and policy. Her research examines the development of adolescents and young adults with special attention to the role of non-parent adults. She is currently involved in a range of research projects that address the role of both formal and informal mentors in vulnerable groups including children of prisoners, survivors of Hurricane Katrina, community college students, high school dropouts, and low-income children in after-school settings. Her findings provide ample evidence of the extraordinary potential of mentoring relationships, while also exposing the rarely acknowledged risk for harm that unsuccessful relationships can render. A deeper understanding of these important relationships may lead to interventions and policies that better address the needs of youth.