Core Department Faculty Member

I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology at Rutgers University. I received my PhD in sociology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2019. Generally, my research examines how local contexts shape human behavior and institutional actions in the areas of criminology and international migration.

My current research, for example, focuses on the neighborhood and city-level correlates of crime, crime reporting behavior, and officer-involved shootings. In particular, I consider the impact of immigrant “sanctuary” policies, immigration, and non-profit organizations on city-level violence as well as their effects on the likelihood that individuals report crime victimization to law enforcement officials.

I am also the co-principal investigator (with Kraig Beyerlein, University of Notre Dame) for the Chicago Congregation Project. We employ a diverse array of methodologies to locate, identify, and study religious congregations in urban areas. In particular, the Chicago Congregation Project will allow us to study how community-level contexts impacts religious congregations, especially as it pertains to engagement in their local communities. At the same time, we aim to better understand the role of congregations in shaping community-level dynamics.