My research draws on cultural and organizational sociology to address a fundamental question: how can we build communities and organizations across lines of difference?

My research agenda tackles fundamental questions in cultural sociology, organizational sociology, and the study of civil society.

My primary line of research explores the microfoundations of inclusion by examining how people with minority identities and beliefs navigate pluralistic universities. A second, complementary line of research probes the meso foundations of integration through examining how nonprofits and their leaders strive to make meaning, build community, and connect people to institutional resources. My next major project will examine the microfoundations of equity through studying how people and organizations engage in voluntary downward mobility as a form of civic sacrifice.

Across these projects, I draw on diverse methods, including in-depth interviews, organizational ethnography, and longitudinal surveys, to uncover local mechanisms through which cohesion, trust, and common goods can be advanced in diverse organizations and societies.

My research has been published in American Sociological Review, Qualitative Sociology, Mobilization, the Journal of Higher Education, Voluntas, and Global Perspectives. Download my curriculum vitae.