Biography
I joined the Department of Sociology at LSU in 2024 after completing a two-year Postdoctoral Fellowship in the Department of Sociology and the Baker Institute Center for Health & Biosciences at Rice University. I received my PhD in Criminology, Law & Society from the University of California, Irvine in 2022.
My research focuses on spatial inequality in housing, land use, crime and criminal justice, and neighborhood change, with a particular emphasis on how these issues intersect with race and class. In my dissertation, I developed a framework for understanding crime and place by drawing on political economy perspectives from sociology and geography. This perspective reframes neighborhood structures as monetized power relations that connect residents, communities, and external actors. It challenges traditional, often colorblind, approaches to race in criminological theory by highlighting how racial and spatial inequality are deeply intertwined. Central to my work is the idea that marginalization and exploitation are key forces driving spatial disparities in crime and criminal justice outcomes.
Housing and land use are critical elements in my research, as they serve to spatially reproduce broader forms of social stratification. My current projects explore how neighborhood crime and justice outcomes are linked to eviction, substandard housing, racial-ethnic and housing tenure segregation, toxic land use, discriminatory tenant screening, and exploitative landlord practices. These issues not only signal community marginalization but are also instrumental to its production.
My research has been published in journals spanning sociology, criminology, urban studies, and geography, and has been featured in outlets such as Vital City and the LA Times.
Education
Ph.D., University of California, Irvine (2022)