Welcome! My name is Marissa Thompson and I am an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Columbia University. My research addresses questions at the intersection of social stratification, education, and race/ethnicity.

My current work explores, for example, why Americans are concerned about some (but not all) forms of inequality; how boundaries between social groups are negotiated and maintained; and segregation and inequality across a range of organizational contexts. I employ a variety of methods in my work, including quantitative methods, survey and audit experiments, and both computational and qualitative analyses of text data. My research has been published or is forthcoming in journals such as the American Journal of Sociology, Social Forces, Sociological Science, Sociology of Education, and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, among others.

In addition to research on inequality and public policy, I’m excited about podcasts, knitting, and hiking with my partner Sam and our dog Pickle.