Social Science PhD Program Recent Graduates

Our graduates go on to a rich mix of careers in academic, research and professional settings, making a meaningful contribution to the public good in communities around the world.

Alumni of the program are now approaching 500 in number, live in all corners of the globe, and hold a variety of professional and academic positions. While the majority of graduates hold academic appointments, others work in public agencies, private firms, NGOs and other non-profit organizations as researchers, consultants, administrators and leaders.

Below is a brief list of accomplishments of our alumni over the past 10 years.

El-Java Abdul-Qadir

Recent Graduate, Social Science Ph.D. Program

M.S.W., Syracuse University, 2002

Advisor:

Rebecca Schewe

eawillia@syr.edu

Dissertation Title

"Ethnic Entrepreneurship Revisited: A Sequential Explanatory Study of Ethnic Pluralism and Heterogeneity Among Entrepreneurs in the United States"

Evan Andrews

Senior Vice President, Citi

’15 Ph.D., Social Science Ph.D. Program

evandrew@syr.edu

Elvis Avdic

Recent Graduate, Social Science Ph.D. Program

M.S., Syracuse University, 2016

Advisor:

Amy Lutz

eavdic@syr.edu

Dissertation Title

"Lives and Dreams: A Study of the Entrepreneurial Journeys of Bosnian Immigrants in the Startup World"

Olga Boichak

Lecturer in Digital Cultures, University of Sydney

’15 M.P.A., ’19, Social Science Ph.D. Program

oboichak@syr.edu

Baurzhan Bokayev

Recent Graduate, Social Science Ph.D. Program

M.P.A., Cornell University, 2016

401 Maxwell Hall

Advisor:

Azra Hromadžić

Yingyi Ma

Jenn M. Jackson

bbokayev@syr.edu

Dissertation Title

Making a Bridge between Countries: Kazakh Students' Socialization and Professional Development within American Universities.

Austin McNeill Brown — (Pronouns: He, His, Him)

Austin McNeill Brown

Alum, Social Science Ph.D. Program

University of Vermont - Social Work

Advisor:

Shannon Monnat

Faculty Research Collaborators:

Jamie Winders

abrown48@syr.edu

Dissertation Title

Suburban Subjectivities; A Genealogical Account of the American Dreamscape

Areas of Expertise

Recovery science, addiction recovery wellness, substance use disorders

Erika Carter Grosso — (Pronouns: She/Her)

Erika Carter Grosso

Recent Graduate, Social Science Ph.D. Program

Graduate Research Associate, Program on Latin America and the Caribbean

M.A., Political Science, Syracuse University, 2010

C.A.S., Latin American Studies, 2010

M.A., Spanish Language, Literature and Culture, 1999

Advisor:

Amy Lutz

ercarter@syr.edu

Kent Jason Cheng

Alum, Social Science Ph.D. Program

Advisor:

Janet M. Wilmoth

kgcheng@psu.edu

Dissertation Title

Three essays on intergenerational transfers.

Hannah Connolly

Recent Graduate, Social Science Ph.D. Program

Advisor:

Shannon Monnat

haconnol@syr.edu

Dissertation Title

"Don't Rock the Boat": The Social Reproduction of Inequality in Medical Education

Nicholas Croce

Recent Graduate, Social Science Ph.D. Program

M.P.A., Brandeis University, 2017

415 Maxwell Hall

Advisor:

Gretchen Purser

njcroce@syr.edu

Dissertation Title

Hospitals of Industry: New York's Progressive Era Labor Colonies

Areas of Expertise

Social policy, inequalities, critical theory, science and technology studies

Fitore Hyseni

Recent Graduate, Social Science Ph.D. Program

Ph.D., Syracuse University, 2024

462 Dineen Hall

Advisor:

Gretchen Purser

Peter Blanck

Scott D. Landes

fhyseni@syr.edu

Dissertation Title

"Three Essays on Socio-Spatial Exclusion of Disabled People."

Sam Jackson

Assistant Professor, College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity, SUNY Albany

’16 M.A. (PSc), ’18 Ph.D., Social Science Ph.D. Program

sjackson@syr.edu

Kimberly Johnson

Associate Professor, Department of Nutrition, College of Education & Social Work, West Chester University

’14 Ph.D., Social Science Ph.D. Program

kejohn04@syr.edu

Shin Yon Kim — (Pronouns: She, Her, Hers)

Shin Yon Kim

Adjunct Professorial Lecturer, Critical RGC Studies, American University

'20 Ph.D., Social Science Ph.D. Program

M.A., Johns Hopkins University, 2010

Advisor:

Margaret Hermann

sykim122@syr.edu

Dissertation Title

Kim Dae-Jung's Leadership as Relevant to the Sunshine Policy (1998-2003)

Yooumi Lee

Recent Graduate, Social Science Ph.D. Program

Advisor:

Janet M. Wilmoth

ylee64@syr.edu

Dissertation Title

"Widowhood, Health and Depression: Intergenerational Relationship, Social Support, and Psychological Well-Being Among Korean Older Adults"

Todd Metcalfe

Senior Economist, Moody’s Analytics

’15 Ph.D., Social Science Ph.D. Program

tmetcalf@syr.edu

Krushna Ranaware

Recent Graduate, Social Science Ph.D. Program

Graduate Research Associate, South Asia Center

Advisor:

Rebecca Schewe

kranawar@syr.edu

Dissertation Title

(In)visible Work: Gender, Labor and Agricultural Markets in India

Natasha S.K. Koshy

Assistant Professor, Tata Institute of Social Sciences

’17 Ph.D., Social Science Ph.D. Program

nskoshy@syr.edu

Gary Shaheen

Project Director, Syracuse University Burton Blatt Institute

’86 M.P.A., ’16 Ph.D., Social Science Ph.D. Program

geshahee@syr.edu

Taveeshi Singh

Recent Graduate, Social Science Ph.D. Program

Graduate Research Associate, South Asia Center

Advisor:

Chandra Talpade Mohanty

tsingh01@syr.edu

Dissertation Title

"Domestic Exertions: Soldier-servants, Military Elites and Securitized Labor in India"

Amy Tweedy

Institutional Effectiveness Specialist, Skidmore College

’14 Ph.D., Social Science Ph.D. Program

ajtweedy@syr.edu

Wendy Wicker

Recent Graduate, Social Science Ph.D. Program

Graduate Research Associate, Maxwell African Scholars Union

Advisor:

Margaret Hermann

John McPeak

Catherine Herrold

wlwicker@syr.edu

Dissertation Title

Who are we? What do we do? How do we engage with others?
A study of philanthropic foundations and stakeholder relationships through the lens of identity.

Shiyang Xiao

Recent Graduate, Social Science Ph.D. Program

M.A., Tsinghua University, Wuhan China, 2011

Advisor:

Yilin Hou

sxiao11@syr.edu

Jeanette Zoeckler

Director of Preventive Services at Occupational Health Clinical Center

’17 Ph.D., Social Science Ph.D. Program

jmzoeckl@syr.edu