I apply computational methods to study a range of substantive sociological questions, drawing on insights from political sociology, criminology, network theory, and cultural sociology. Below is a list of my ongoing and completed projects; click on a subtitle to explore each project in more detail.
1.1 Competing Institutional Logics and Cultural Production
Conducted in collaboration with Dr. Steve Borgatti and funded by the Howard Beers Research Fellowship from the Sociology Department at the University of Kentucky, this project focuses on the textual analysis of Persian rap songs. We explore how institutional logics and the professional networks of cultural actors co-evolve within their sociohistorical contexts. Specifically, we investigate how exogenous shocks—particularly major social movements—moderate this co-evolution. This research involves extensive data work, including textual analysis techniques that leverage recent advancements in large language models.
1.2. Countering Legal Censoring in Music
In collaboration with Dr. Robert Krause, we explore genre dynamics in popular music, focusing on how state aggression mediates collaboration networks. We argue that as state aggression intensifies, music actors become more resistant, forming dense clusters within their boundary-maintaining networks. Conversely, those complicit actors who negotiate with the state rather than work against it maintain loose, boundary-spanning networks. We utilize stochastic network models to address the core research questions of this project. This project was presented at the Southern Sociological Society conference using a Bayesian ERGM framework. We are currently working on scaling this project by acquiring fine-grained, time-stamped event data to more accurately test our hypotheses.
1.3. Institutional Dynamics of Music Scenes
My interest in post-revolutionary Iranian music is long-standing. For my master’s thesis at the National University of Iran, I examined the institutional dynamics shaping genre formation and evolution in this context. The thesis earned an Honorable Mention for Thesis of the Year at the 19th National Festival of the Academic Center for Education, Culture, and Research (ACECR). The first 40 pages are available for access. This research has also led to a forthcoming book chapter on music scenes in post-revolutionary Iran, to be published by Harvard University Press in the Ilex Series. The book is currently available for pre-order.
2.1. Qualitative Comparative Analysis of State-Sponsored Violence
In collaboration with Dr. Janet Stamatel and influenced by John Braithwaite’s theory of crime and freedom, we examine political and economic conditions that foster state-sponsored violence. We utilize fuzzy-set QCA to identify the macro-level sufficient and necessary conditions conducive to state-sponsored violence in both authoritarian and democratic societies. We have given presentations on this topic at both the European Society of Criminology and the American Society of Criminology conferences. A publication resulting from this ongoing project will be submitted in the spring of 2026.
3.1. The Global Dimensions of Agrochemical Conglomerations
Funded by an extramural grant from Food System 6, with me as Co-PI and Dr. Loka Ashwood as PI, this project investigates the ownership, control, and advisory networks of six major agrochemical entities. Utilizing social network analysis, we found that these massive conglomerates are deeply intertwined and depend privately on shared ownership between one another to operate. We found that German and U.S.-affiliated entities favor co-ownership through subsidiaries, while Indian and Chinese firms favor co-ownership through shareholding. We are currently submitting a paper from this project to the Journal of Agrarian Change, co-authored with Andrew Pilny, Mary Hendrickson, Phil Howard, and Mariyam Jamila, focusing exclusively on co-ownerships.
3.2. A Social Network Analysis of Dependency in U.S. Industrial Agriculture
Funded by the Economic Security Project, I have been cleaning, manipulating, and analyzing one of the largest datasets I have ever worked with. Utilizing Sayari Labs, this project has acquired relational information on thousands of entities and key players in major U.S. industrial agricultural sectors—grain, hogs, beef, and poultry—to identify the primary architects of this complex network. This ongoing project generates data that supports several other research initiatives mentioned in this section.
3.3. Energy Ownership and Organizational Structures
Collaborating with Loka Ashwood, Andrew Pilny, Mary Cromer, and Hillary Hamilton, this project identifies Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act permits in Bell and Martin Counties, Kentucky. We have built a dataset tracking companies and individuals who own and control these permits to examine the network of ownership and control in coal mining within these counties. The data compilation phase of this project is complete, though the analytical component has yet to begin. This research is funded by the University of Kentucky Energy Research Priority Area (e-RPA).
3.4. A Multidimensional Network Approach to Financial Organization of Life Outcomes
From Fall 2025 to Summer 2026, I will work as a research assistant on an NSF-funded project titled "A Multidimensional Network Approach to Financial Organization of Life Outcomes." This project analyzes global and local financial and organizational patterns in the mining and farming industries, using advanced network analysis methods to predict their effects on local ecological outcomes. More information about the project is available on the National Science Foundation's website.
4.1. Intergenerational Creative Movement Program: A Social Connection Intervention to Foster Health and Well-Being
Collaborating with Tony Bardo, Amy Kostelic, Susan Thiel, and Claire Reardon, I have been involved in a network intervention project. This semi-quasi-experimental study has aimed to foster close intergenerational connections and improve women's mental health through these relationships. Network analysis results demonstrated that our program effectively fostered close intergenerational connections, which, when triangulated with qualitative findings from in-depth interviews, were found to be anchored in an emergent sense of belonging. Combined with results from pre- and post-intervention surveys, the formation of these close intergenerational connections positively impacted mental health outcomes.
We have presented this research at Sunbelt, the Gerontological Society of America, the American Sociological Association, the Southern Sociological Society, and the International Society for Quality of Life Studies. To date, we have published a paper from this research in the Journal of Human Sciences and Extension, focusing on the practical implications of our findings. A network analysis paper will soon be submitted to Social Networks' special issue on "Networks from the Point of View of Community Intervention." This research was funded by the University of Kentucky Igniting Research Collaborations initiative.
5.1. Iran Floods 2019
In response to the severe floods that struck Iran in late 2019, a Special Reporting Committee was formed to investigate the disaster, examine its underlying causes and impacts, and develop recommendations to improve flood preparedness and disaster management. I joined the Social, Cultural, and Communication Working Group, where I worked closely with my mentor, Dr. Mohammad Fazeli from the National University of Iran. Within this group, I served on three subcommittees: the Social and Cultural Subcommittee, the Organizational Studies and Public Policy Subcommittee, and the Main Secretariat Subcommittee. The complete report is available in Persian on the University of Tehran's website.
5.2. Democracy and Bureaucracy in an Ideological State: The Problem of State Capacity
Drawing on Francis Fukuyama's framework in Political Order and Political Decay, this theoretical essay examines the relationship between bureaucracy, democracy, and state capacity within an ideological state, specifically Iran. It analyzes how Iranian interpretations of Fukuyama, particularly those advocating efficiency-based reforms (e.g., Mohammad Fazeli), often neglect the critical role of ideology. The essay first outlines Fukuyama's model of political order (balancing state capacity, rule of law, and accountability), then argues that Iran's prioritization of ideological control over bureaucratic efficiency shapes state action and limits governing capacity. This dynamic, I conclude, contributes to persistent governance challenges. I originally developed this essay from graduate coursework, wrote it in Persian, and published it in the proceedings of the Third National Symposium of Social Sciences Students' Studies.
5.3. Urban Management and Art Scenes
Published in the proceedings of the Second National Symposium of Social Sciences Students' Studies, this theoretical essay examines the influence of urban management on cultural dynamics in Tehran. Using theater and music as case studies, I discuss the interactions between cultural actors and urban policies, highlighting how different art forms are shaped by their relationship with municipal governance structures.
5.4. Transformations of Public Policy in Iran, 1925–2021
In collaboration with Dr. Mahdi Malmir, this research examined historical developments in Iranian public policy within bureaucratic and legal frameworks. My contribution involved synthesizing the empirical literature on Iranian welfare policies and conducting a comprehensive review of recent public policy transformations. The project resulted in a report submitted to the Social Monitoring Center.
5.5. Social Determinants of Tax Compliance
Working with Drs. Ali Janadleh and Mohammad Fazeli, this mixed-method research examined the social factors shaping tax behavior. My role was to synthesize theoretical and empirical literature on the determinants of tax compliance and tax evasion, and to produce a comprehensive literature review on these topics.