Brendan Frizzell

Brendan Frizzell is a first-year Sociology PhD student at the University of Southern California. His research investigates sociological phenomena in Latin America, primarily related to family, immigration, occupations, and sexuality. As a descendant of Panamanian immigrant to the United States, each of these research areas are not only pertinent to his own life, but to many others who often go unnoticed by sociological literature and academia at large. At USC, he primarily works with Dr. Daniela Urbina-Julio and Dr. Jody Agius Vallejo.

Prior to enrolling as a doctoral student at USC, he was a Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellow at Rice University. His senior honors thesis in sociology entitled “Mi casa es tu casa: Investigating Cohabitation and Inflation Rates in Gran Buenos Aires” studied the relationship between economic instability and family-formation practices. Brendan earned his Bachelor of Arts cum laude from Rice University in May 2024 with majors in Sociology, Spanish & Portuguese, and Latin American & Latinx Studies and certificates in Civic Leadership and Portuguese Language. He previously worked with Dr. Christina Diaz, Dr. Jenifer Bratter, Dr. Sergio Chavez, Dr. Elizabeth Roberto, and Dr. Jaleh Jalili. 

• BA Rice University, 5/2024