Biography
I joined LSU’s Sociology Department in 2014 after completing my Ph.D. in Criminology,
Law & Society from the University of California, Irvine. My interdisciplinary training
has informed my interest in applied research at the intersection of geography, place,
and theory to better understand the community context of crime, focusing particularly
on gangs and problem oriented policing strategies. I was named a LSU Rainmaker and
awarded the LSU Alumni Association Rising Faculty Research Award in 2019. I received
the LSU Alumni Association Faculty Excellence Award in 2020.
My current research agenda is two-fold. The first component of my research program,
the socio-spatial dynamics of gang behavior (i.e., territoriality, group cohesion,
and violence), builds on the observation that street gangs are a localized phenomenon
emerging and adapting in a particular geography. This also includes comparing and
contrasting the attributes of street gangs with other deviant groups (i.e., ISIS,
Skinheads, Alt-Right, White Power Groups). Building on this notion, the second component
of my research program examines effective strategies aimed at reducing neighborhood
violence and discouraging gang activity, such as problem-oriented policing strategies
(e.g., gang units, civil gang injunctions) or criminal justice policies (e.g., drug
enforcement).
I am co-author of Alt-Right Gangs: A Hazy Shade of White, published by University of California Press in September 2020, examining the rise
of Alt-Right groups through the lens of street gang research. This book is one of
the first to conceptualize Alt-Right gangs and situate their existence across a broad
range of academic literature and current events. Relationally I am also a fellow at the Institute for Research on Male Supremacism (IRMS).
My work has appeared in Journal of Criminal Justice, Journal of Youth Studies, Social Science Research, Theoretical Criminology, Crime & Delinquency, Homicide Studies, Critical Criminology, Criminal Justice Review, Deviant Behavior, Statistics and Public Policy, Crime Science, Journal of Crime and Justice, Journal of Criminology, Policy, and Practice, Journal of Interpersonal Violence, Social Sciences, Contexts, and The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters. In addition to scholarly publications, my research has received coverage in mainstream
media outlets such as The Conversation, The Washington Post's Monkey Cage, The Guardian, The Crime Report, and Rolling Stone.
In addition to my research interests, I regularly teach SOCL 2371: Aspects of Federal,
State, & Local Law Enforcement, SOCL 3371: Sociology of the Criminal Justice System,
SOCL 4468: Sociology of Gangs, and SOCL 4466: Crime Mapping, a geographical information
systems (GIS) course. My courses are designed with the pedagogical goal of grounding
theoretical material in everyday life allowing students to apply a criminological
lens to critically evaluate social problems facing society. Lastly, I feel that mentoring
is a vital component of academia and I am very committed to advising students at both
the undergraduate and graduate level, encouraging them to develop their own research
interests and aiding future career decisions.
Education
PhD: University of California, Irvine (2014)
Curriculum Vitae
Courses Recently Taught at LSU
(Syllabi are for illustrative purposes & subject to change)
- SOCL 2371: Aspects of Federal, State, & Local Law Enforcement
- SOCL 3371: Sociology of the Criminal Justice System
- SOCL 4466: Crime Mapping (also offered as GEOG 3043)
- SOCL 4468: Sociology of Gangs