About Me

I am an Associate Professor of Sociology and Social Data Analytics at The Pennsylvania State University. Prior to working at Penn State, I earned a Ph.D. in Sociology from Cornell University in 2017 and a B.A. in Sociology from the University of Chicago in 2011.

I am a sociologist who applies the tools of network science, agent-based computational modeling, natural language processing, and a wide range of statistical methodologies to study core questions arising in political, economic, cultural, and organizational contexts. Across diverse topics, I broadly try to understand the ways that interdependent actors collectively shape social structure. But really, the common thread across my research projects is that they address puzzles that pique my curiosity. For example: Why is it so easy to predict someone’s political ideology from simply knowing what types of music or beverages they prefer? How was it possible for the “American Mafia” to constitute a nationwide criminal conspiracy while the individual groups involved were often geographically isolated and largely disconnected from others? How can proximity to outgroups simultaneously foster both tolerance and enmity?

My research on these and other questions has been published in the American Sociological Review, American Journal of Sociology, Social Forces, Social Networks, Organization Science, and other outlets. I have also received awards from the American Sociological Association's sections on Sociology of Culture, Mathematical Sociology, Economic Sociology, and Rationality and Society, as well as the Academy of Management's division on Organization and Management Theory. 

I hope you enjoy learning more about my work. Please feel free to reach out to me at djd78@psu.edu.

When I’m not doing the stuff that you can learn more about on this site, I also enjoy writing amateurish movie blurbs on Letterboxd, studying Japanese, and reading John Le Carre novels.