Derick S. Baum

As a quantitative sociologist, I seek to advance statistical and computational methods to address pressing questions in the social sciences. I hold a B.A. in Sociology and Mathematics (double major) from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and an A.M. and a Ph.D. in Sociology from Harvard University. I am currently a postdoctoral research associate in the Department of Sociology at Brown University.

Substantively, I use network data to investigate patterns of inequality in social interactions. I examine such questions as: What individual characteristics are associated with larger personal networks? What barriers limit contact with people in certain groups, whether defined by sociodemographic traits, religious affiliation, or occupational category? Addressing these questions can offer valuable insights into the unequal distribution of social capital across individuals and the processes that foster or undermine social cohesion.

From a methodological perspective, I develop statistical models and software that leverage network data to investigate the questions above. I also examine issues related to data quality and propose strategies to guide the collection of new network data. Alongside my work on social networks, I pursue methodological research in two other areas: (1) decomposition analysis in social demography — a paper on this topic is currently under revise and resubmit at Sociological Methodology — and (2) causal inference in contexts involving complex interdependencies among variables.

After completing my postdoctoral appointment at Brown, I will begin as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Georgia in Fall 2026.