My interests in social research are quite wide reaching.  While much of my recent attention has been focused on the relationship between digital communications technologies and society, including cell phones, the Internet and social media, I am also interested in researching social movements, criminal justice systems, surveillance and public policy (to name a few).  My approach to research involves studying concepts and phenomena in new and creative ways, implementing a range of quantitative and qualitative methodologies.  My dissertation research, which utilized an experimental method (with data collected via qualitative observations, quantitative survey instruments, and focus group discussions) to investigate the cause and effect relationship between cell phone use and social capital formation, is an example of taking a creative approach to an emerging topic in the social world.

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Full Statement of Research Interests

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I also have a great interest in (and considerable experience with) research that has applications outside of academia. From 2012 until 2018, I worked with the Girl Scouts Heart of Michigan (GSHOM) as an evaluation researcher, actively building, conducting and improving evaluation methods for an organization with over 20,000 child and adult members across the state of Michigan. In this position, I had the ability to conduct research that makes a difference, informing policy decisions by assessing the effectiveness of Girl Scout programs as they relate to organizational outcomes.  I was also involved in several community related research projects in Kalamazoo, MI at the beginning of my graduate education. I was recruited as a surveyor for a study which looked into racial profiling in the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety, the results of which have had impacts on public opinion and local policing policy, and worked on data collection and reporting for an evaluation of the citizens' use and perceptions of drinking water in Kalamazoo.