Research Interests: Sociology of Education, Social Network Analysis, Organizations, Alternative Schooling Movements, Comparative and Historical Sociology, Political Sociology

Marissa Combs is a PhD student in Sociology and a Presidential Scholar in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Broadly, she is interested in students’ political and moral development in schools. She is curious about the relationship between formal structures of schooling environments and student experiences. Specifically, how relationships among students, staff, and parents acculturate students into a school’s internal organizational logic and society at large. Marissa is also curious about whether (and how) sociologists can use studies of alternative schooling movements to better understand the ideological contours of modern mass education.

Born and raised in Queens, NY, Marissa earned a BA in Sociology with Honors from the University of Chicago in 2019. As an undergraduate, she served as the Editor in Chief for the Chicago Journal of Sociology and a research assistant to John Levi Martin, exploring political party formation in 1790s New York through an analysis of elite political social networks and careers. Prior to beginning her PhD, she completed an Applied Data Fellowship at the Harris School of Public Policy. She worked as a Data Analyst for the Illinois Network of Charter Schools. 

Previous Degrees:
B.A. Sociology, University of Chicago, 2019