About Me

I am a qualitative sociologist who studies the formation of trust and distrust in a variety of social contexts, with a special interest in institutional distrust. More broadly, I study topics in culture, media, online movements, and sociotechnical environments, and I specialize in digital ethnographic methods.

My current research examines processes of institutional distrust formation in online communities that resist emerging technologies, such as AI and 5G. This research explores the relationship between institutional distrust and the development of radical discourses. 

In my role as Postdoctoral Associate at Boston University’s Center for Media Innovation & Social Impact (MISI), I research public perception of data centers in New England. This study uses mixed-methods (digital ethnography, semi-structured interviews, and survey methods) to explore how people in local information ecosystems learn to trust or distrust information on data centers.

Prior to my work at MISI, I was a postdoctoral fellow in sociology at Harvard University, where I taught classes on digital ethnography, propaganda and persuasion, and conspiracy culture. I designed these classes to help students understand timely topics from a sociological perspective. I also advised undergraduate students’ senior thesis projects and managed undergraduate research assistants.

My research has been published in peer-reviewed journals, such as The Sociological Quarterly and Global Public Health. I also co-authored a white paper for the Center for Artistic Activism.