Several U-M Sociology graduate students successfully defended their dissertations this past summer, marking significant milestones in their academic and professional journeys. We are proud to celebrate these graduates for their impressive scholarship and significant contributions to sociological research.


Dr. Chalem Bolton

  • Dissertation: “Three Essays on Economic Inequality and Insecurity in the United States”
  • Placement: Post-Doctoral Associate, University of Florida


Dr. Davis Daumler

  • Dissertation: “The Temporal Dynamics of Generational Inequality”
  • Placement: Stone Postdoctoral Fellow, Harvard University


Dr. So'Phelia Morrow

  • Dissertation: “Killing Us Softly: Intimate Partner Violence and the Forced Martyrdom of Black Women”
  • Placement: Assistant Professor of Social Work, Wayne State University


Dr. Mira Vale

  • Dissertation: “Data Values: Moral Entrepreneurship in Digital Health”
  • Placement: Assistant Professor of Sociology, Washington University in St. Louis


Dr. Brittany Vasquez

  • Dissertation: “The Cost of Control: Fiscal Accountability, Privatization, and Public Investment in Education”
  • Placement: Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education


Dr. Aya M. Waller-Bey

  • Dissertation: “Is it worth it? Trauma Narratives in College Admissions Essays”
  • Placement: Research Collaborator, Brown University Annenberg Institute


Congratulations again to these outstanding sociologists and new U-M Sociology alumni!