Katherine Smock
Biography
I am a doctoral candidate in the Department of Sociology at UCLA researching housing and homelessness, urban organizations, and local governance. In addition to my research, I’m passionate about inclusive pedagogy which I implement in my Introductory Sociology course. As a graduate mentor for undergraduate researchers in the sociology department and for the Undergraduate Research Center UCLA/Keck Humanistic Inquiry Research Award program, I enjoy introducing undergraduate students to research in the social sciences.
Degrees
- C.Phil. Sociology, University of California, Los Angeles, 2023
- M.A. Sociology, University of California, Los Angeles, 2021
- B.A. Sociology & Anthropology (summa cum laude), Lewis & Clark College, 2018
Research
My dissertation project examines affordable housing developers in LA County from an organizational perspective. Using data from in-depth interviews and ethnographic observation, I study the organizational processes of developers using public subsidies to better understand their contribution to housing market inequalities. This project has received support from the Haynes Foundation.
In another project, co-author Victoria Tran and I investigate the role of neighborhood councils in homeless governance. Using Los Angeles neighborhood councils’ participation in homelessness policy as a case study, we analyze interviews, meeting observations, and documents to understand how neighborhood councils position themselves in the larger network of homelessness governance and how their strategies are shaped by both internal contestation and their political alignment with external actors.
Awards & Grants
- Haynes Lindley Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship, 2024-25
- UCLA Sociology Excellence in Teaching Award, 2022-23
- Graduate Research Mentorship, 2021-22 (with Edward Walker)
- UCLA Sociology Excellence in Teaching Award, 2021-22
- Graduate Summer Research Mentorship, 2020 (with Edward Walker)
- Rena Ratte Award, 2018 (Lewis and Clark College)
