The Department of Sociology is excited to welcome two new Assistant Professors in Fall 2026! Their work brings fresh perspectives on inequality, identity, media, and social change, adding new energy to our classrooms and research community. We look forward to the conversations, collaborations, and opportunities their arrival will spark.

Christina Pao

Christina Pao is a sociologist and social demographer whose work examines how social identities are measured in surveys and how those measurements shape our understanding of inequality. Currently completing a PhD in Sociology and Social Policy at Princeton University, Christina brings interdisciplinary training in demography and political science from the University of Oxford (Nuffield College) and Yale University. A Rhodes Scholar and Truman Scholar, Christina has received multiple honors recognizing both research excellence and public service, including the ASA Sociological Practice and Public Sociology Section’s Robert F. Dentler Award and an IPUMS USA Research Award.

 

 

 

Zhaodi Chen

Zhaodi Chen is a PhD candidate in Sociology at Indiana University Bloomington whose research focuses on media and information technologies, gender and inequality, political sociology, and computational social science. Her current work investigates how survivors of gender-based violence navigate visibility and pursue justice on Chinese social media. Her scholarship deepens the department’s strengths in digital, global, and gender-focused sociological research.