Biography
Kelly Russell, Ph.D., earned her doctorate in Sociology from the University of Michigan in 2021. Dr. Russell holds the position of Specialized Teaching Faculty I in the Department of Sociology. Her primary areas of expertise are economic and political sociology, specifically the politics of social policy in the U.S. and the state-market relationship in social service provision. Kelly’s research has appeared in the American Journal of Sociology, Politics and Society, and the London School of Economics’ USAPP American Politics and Policy forum, and her work has received funding from the National Science Foundation and the Horowitz Foundation for Social Policy.
Kelly teaches several core Sociology courses in the department, including Social Problems, Sociological Theory, and Research Methods. In the classroom, she aims to make the social world legible to her students, while also instilling in them the critical thinking skills necessary to question entrenched ideas and social structures. Her courses draw students’ attention to the politics of complex social issues past and present, from modernization and the rise of capitalism to contemporary patterns of income, racial, and gender inequality, and provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary to carry out their own research projects.
Education
Ph.D., Sociology, University of Michigan, 2021
M.A., Sociology, University of Michigan, 2014
B.A., English (with honors), University of Chicago, 2007
