Openings
Please consider one of these positions for Postdoctoral Scholar Research Associate:
Turpanjian Chair in Civil Society and Social Change Postdoctoral Scholar Research Associate
Application has closed
Community Power Postdoctoral Scholar Research Associate
Application now available
National Equity Atlas Postdoctoral Scholar Research Associate
Application coming soon
Current Scholars
Dr. Leah E. Gose
Dr. Leah E. Gose is ERI’s Turpanjian Chair in Civil Society and Social Change Postdoctoral Scholar for the 2023 – 2024 academic year. She completed her PhD in sociology at Harvard University in 2023. Her primary research interests center on the role of community organizations as vital aspects of the social safety net, in how they shape access to resources for individuals, opportunities to build social networks and promote civic engagement, and respond to governmental policy and funding influences. Dr. Gose’ scholarship contributes primarily to the study of organizations and inequality/poverty, but also engages with urban sociology, political sociology, social policy, and social networks.
Dr. Ezinne Nwankwo
Dr. Ezinne Nwankwo is ERI’s National Equity Atlas Postdoctoral Scholar 2023. She is a recent graduate of UCLA with her doctorate in Community Health Sciences. Ezinne’s research interests center on the migration and immigrant experiences of black and African populations. In the U.S., this group of immigrants is seldom the focus of public health research, and their immigrant experience is rarely the center of public debate. Ezinne believes that her research will shed light on the challenges that immigrants face to integrating into U.S. society, and the impact that these barriers have on health and well-being. She expects that this research will help to identify opportunities for effective immigrant integration policies and programs.
Dr. Bita Minaravesh
Dr. Bita Minaravesh (she/her) is a Postdoctoral Scholar at USC’s Equity Research Institute and Lecturer in the Spatial Sciences Institute in the Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences at the University of Southern California (USC). In her post-doctoral research, she is exploring the state of environmental and economic equity across California through a lens of intersectionality to promote every child’s opportunity to realize their universal right to self-determination. She employs a spatial perspective to expose the inequitable factors influencing both a child’s trajectory in the short term and a community’s opportunity for growth over generations.
Dr. Sean Angst
Dr. Sean Angst (he/him) earned a Ph.D. in Public Policy and Management from the University of Southern California. His research focuses on housing, community development, and racial justice. Dr. Angst recently completed his dissertation on housing affordability and neighborhood change in South Los Angeles, which examined the impacts of those processes on survival and stress. During his time at USC, Sean also served on the school’s Teaching Excellence Committee and as an organizer among graduate student workers. In these roles, he fought for policies that prioritize student voice, belonging, and accountability.