Current Graduate Students
Current graduate students are listed below alphabetical order by last name in the cohort they entered the department.
2024-2025 Cohort
Iretiayo Rebecca Akinjo
Email: iakinj1@lsu.edu
Advisor:
Research interests: Rural/Agricultural sociology, Leveraging AI for Social Behavior
Analysis and predictive modeling in rural communities.
Sophie Burns
Email: sburn39@lsu.edu
Advisor:
Research Interests:gender inequality, sexuality, sexual behavior, stigma, social
psychology, qualitative methods and media research.
Myrissa Eisworth
Email: meiswo2@lsu.edu
Advisor: Heather Rackin
Research Interests: Gender and Sexuality, Sexual violence, Intersectionality, Public
Policy, Cultural Sociology, Mixed Methods
Marine Harutyunan
Email: mharut2@lsu.edu
Advisor:
Research interests: Sociology of Education, Criminology.
Rita Kagaju
Email: rkagaj1@lsu.edu
Advisor:
Research interests: Sociology of Culture, Conflict theory, Collective Memory, Cultural
and Intergenerational Trauma.
Su Min Park
Email: spar152@lsu.edu
Advisor:
Research interests: Social inequality, mental health, gender, intersectionality, social
movement, stratification, immigration, culture, stigma and prejudice, historical sociology.
Mollie Schloss
Email: mschlo2@lsu.edu
Advisor:
Research interests: Internet Socialization, Sociological Theory & Qualitative Methods.
Claire Thomas
Email: ctho429@lsu.edu
Advisor:
Research interests: Gender; Family; Mental Health; Media; Substance Use.
Carine Villasanti
Email: cmor116@lsu.edu
Advisor:
Research Interests: communities, environmental sociology, and collaboration.
2023-2024 Cohort
Judith Amegbe
Email: jamegb1@lsu.edu
Advisor:
Research Interests: Technology, Deviance, Social Networks, and Health
Hanieh Lashkarbolouki
Email: hlashk1@lsu.edu
Advisor: Rick Weil
Research Interests: gender stereotypes, gender and religion, democracy, patriarchy
in the middle east.
Xinying (Nunnally) Zou
Email: xzou3@lsu.edu
Advisor:
Research Interests: Urban Sociology, Spatial Analysis, Health, Social Network
2022-2023 Cohort
Naduni Jayasnghe
Email: kjayas1@lsu.edu
Advisor: Kevin T. Smiley and Heather Rackin
Research Interests: Public policy, sociology of disaster, development, economic sociology,
and social capital
KayLynn Larrison
Email: klarri5@lsu.edu
Advisor: Kevin T. Smiley
Research Interests: Race/ethnicity, inequality, quantitative methods
Muhammad Saifuddin
Email: msaifu1@lsu.edu
Advisor: Kevin T. Smiley
Research Interests: Religious and rural education, immigration, Bangladeshi Diaspora
2021-2022 Cohort
Windsor Adcox
Email: wadcox1@lsu.edu
Advisor:
Research Interests: Criminology; criminal violence; juvenile crime; rehabilitation
Nana Osei Asiamah
Email: nasiam2@lsu.edu
Advisor:
Research Interests: Social Networks; technology; mental health
Isaac Carson
Email: icarso1@lsu.edu
Advisor:
Research Interests: Corrections; juvenile delinquency; public policy; capital punishment
Zara Houser
Email: zhouse3@lsu.edu
Advisor:
Research Interests: Reproductive health; reproductive justice; race/ethnicity; gender
Heath McNeese
Email: rmcnee3@lsu.edu
Advisor: Kevin T. Smiley
Research Interests: Environmental sociology; environmental justice; inequalities; social movements;
social change
Arijita Pal
Email: apal9@lsu.edu
Advisor:
Research Interests: Social policy; human rights; child rights; agriculture; economic development
Shinjini Roy
Email: sroy45@lsu.edu
Advisor:
Research Interests: Childhood; parenting; digital technologies; urban spaces; South Asian studies
CV
Xiaoxu Yang
Email: xyang36@lsu.edu
Advisor:
Research Interests: Sociology of education; life course; social stratification
CV
Seunghwan Yoo
Email: syoo7@lsu.edu
Advisor: Heather Rackin
Research Interests: Social Demography, Marriage & Fertility, Digital Media, Narrative & Public Discourse,
Social Inequality.
2020-2021 Cohort
Katie Cali
Email: kpatto7@lsu.edu
Advisor:
Research Interests: Religion; criminology; race; assisted suicide; death penalty
Jamila Freightman
Email: jfreightman@lsu.edu
Advisor:
Research Interests: Rural sociology; arrested mobility; race; wealth inequality; economic development.
Yoon Jung Jeong
Email: yjeong3@lsu.edu
Advisor: Sarah Becker
Research Interests: Gender; media; online culture; activism, masculinities
Savannah Mattox
Email: smatto2@lsu.edu
Advisor: Sarah Becker
Research Interests: Race & Ethnicity, Interracial Relationships, Interracial Families, Gender & Sexualities
Samantha Ramey
Email: sramey3@lsu.edu
Advisor: Rick Weil
Research Interests: Children & adolescence; mental health; Internet communications
Harleen Sandhu
Email: hsandh1@lsu.edu
Advisor:
Research Interests: Sociology of religion; military sociology; subaltern studies; gender studies; culture;
community & urban sociology; public policy
Katherine Seals
Email: KSeals@agcenter.lsu.edu
Advisor:
Research Interests: Criminology; environmental design; perception of crime; crime & health
Shriya Thakkar
Email: sthakk1@lsu.edu
Advisor:Kevin T. Smiley
Research Interests:Gender; migration; development; urban slums; media; South Asia
Jonathan Yevuyibor
Email: jyevuy1@lsu.eduAdvisor: Wesley M. Shrum, Jr
Research Interests: Urban sluma; media; environmental justice; urban sociology; health & development
2019-2020 Cohort
Jazmin Robinson-Smith
Email: Jrob293@lsu.edu
Advisor: Sarah Becker
Research Interests: Race/ethnicity; gender/sexuality; media; criminology; Black studies;
romantic relationships
2018-2019 Cohort
Dominique Dillard
Email: ddilla4@lsu.edu
Advisor: Lori L. Martin
Research Interests:Black sexuality; sexual violence; slavery; race
Dominique's CV
Rob Matchett
Email: rmatch1@lsu.eduAdvisor: Dana Berkowitz
Research Interests: Gender & sexuality; health, self & identity; LGBT Studies; qualitative research
Rob's CV
2017-2018 Cohort
Ewart Forde
Email: eforde2@lsu.edu
Advisor: Lori L. Martin