USC.edu
Department of Sociology

Thalia Tom

Ph.D. Student
Thalia Tom
Pronouns She / Her / Hers Email thaliato@usc.edu

Biography

Thalia Tom is a Ph.D. candidate in Sociology at USC. She draws on quantitative methods to document inequality in neighborhoods and schools. Her research interests span urban sociology (in particular, residential segregation and neighborhood change), education, and social stratification. With support from the American Sociological Association, the Russell Sage Foundation, and the USC Endowed Fellowship Fund, Thalia is currently engaged in a project that investigates neighborhood effects on early educational outcomes.  

Education

  • M.A. Sociology, University of Southern California, 2021
  • B.A. Sociology, University of California, Davis, 2018

  • Other Employment

    • Summer Research Fellow, Stanford Center on Poverty and Inequality, 2019
    • Graduate Research Assistant, USC Center for Economic and Social Research, 2020 – 2023
    • Graduate Research Assistant, USC Sociology, 2019 – 2024

  • Research Keywords

    Urban Sociology; Sociology of Education; Health; Social Stratification; Quantitative Methods

  • Book Chapters

    • Friedman, S., Tom, T. (2023). Residential Segregation by Education in the U.S.: 2016-2020. Recent Trends in Demographic Data

    Journal Article

    • DiRago, N., Li, M., Tom, T., Schupmann, W., Carrillo, Y., Carey, C. M., Gaddis, M. S. (2022). COVID-19 Vaccine Rollouts and the Reproduction of Urban Spatial Inequality: Disparities Within Large U.S. Cities in March and April 2021 by Racial/Ethnic and Socioeconomic Composition. Journal of Urban Health. Vol. 99,pp. 191-207. Springer
    • Owens, A., Tom, T. (2024). Intersecting Inequalities: Racial/Ethnic and Socioeconomic Differences in Math Achievement and School Contexts in California. Social Problems. Vol. 71 (3), pp. 720-747. Oxford
    • Brazil, N., Candipan, J., Levy, B., Tom, T. (2025). Beyond the Residential Neighborhood: A Scoping Review of Research on Urban Neighborhood Networks. Social Science & Medicine. Science Direct
    • USC Russell Endowed Fellowship, 2025-2026
    • USC Oakley Endowed Fellowship, 2024-2025
    • American Sociological Association Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grant, 2023-2024
    • Russell Sage Foundation Dissertation Research Grant, 2023-2024

  • Other Service to the Profession

    • City & Community Graduate Editorial Assistant, 2024 – 2026
    • ASA Community/Urban Sociology Newsletter Team Member, 2021 – 2024
    • ASA Community/Urban Sociology Roundtables Organizer, Spring 2024