I am an assistant professor of sociology and public policy at UNC Charlotte.
As a social psychologist in the group processes tradition, I use theory and quantitative data to advance sociological knowledge in the field’s two core social problems: 1) breakdowns in social solidarity and 2) the sources of inequality. I address breakdowns in social solidarity by developing theoretical explanations for the emergence and maintenance of political polarization. I explore the sources of inequality using the status characteristics tradition to explain the emergence of informal hierarchies in small groups. Throughout my work, I pay careful attention to how stereotyping and self-fulfilling prophecies contribute to social problems.