CDE Visiting Scholars
The Center for Demography and Ecology (CDE) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is pleased to present the Visiting Scholar Program. The Visiting Scholars Program aims to enhance the research interests and resources available to population scholars, to foster interaction among a heterogeneous set of scholars, and to broaden the corps of population researchers.
Scholars will visit CDE in Madison, Wisconsin for one week in order to interact with its resident faculty, present a population-related research seminar of their choosing, participate in the CDE thematic working groups, draw on faculty support for the development of grant proposals, and become acquainted with staff and resources. Visiting scholars will be matched with a faculty host/mentor, who will coordinate interactions with the wide network of researchers on campus.
2024-2025 Visiting Scholars
Steven Alvarado, Associate Professor of Sociology, University of Notre Dame
Visiting February 10th-14th, 2025
Steven Alvarado is an Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Notre Dame. He received his PhD in Sociology from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. His research and teaching centers on how neighborhood disadvantage impinges on well-being across the life course, racial and ethnic inequality in education, the multigenerational structure of inequality, and policies that can potentially alleviate inequality. Using quantitative methods and federally restricted longitudinal data sets, Alvarado accounts for how inequality manifests through the unequal distribution of resources across racial and ethnic groups in schools and neighborhoods.
Ariel Azar, Assistant Professor of Sociology, Purdue University
Visiting February 24th-28th, 2025
Ariel Azar is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Purdue University. His research focuses on the interplay between policy, political systems, and broader social structures, and their influence on health disparities and overall health trajectories across the lifespan. His research is particularly dedicated to investigating the health outcomes of migrant and LGBT populations, exploring both intra-group disparities and differences relative to non-migrant and cis-heterosexual populations in changing policy contexts that (un)protect these populations. Azar also delves into the impact of public and policy attitudes towards migration on perceptions of the welfare state, contributing valuable insights in the context of increasing global migration.
Rahi Abouk, Associate Professor of Economics, Finance, & Global Business, William Paterson University
Visiting April 14th-18th, 2025
Rahi Abouk is an Associate Professor in the Department of Economics, Finance, and Global Business and the Director of the Cannabis Research Institute at William Paterson University. His research interests include health economics and the economics of substance abuse. He explores determining factors and consequences associated with individuals’ health-related behaviors. Abouk investigates the effect of public policies targeting electronic and conventional cigarettes, alcohol, cannabis, and opioid drugs.
Visiting Scholars Program Alumni
2023-2024
Sojung Lim, Utah State University
Matt Hauer, Florida State University
Youngmin Yi, University of Massachusetts Amherst
Melissa Alcaraz, Brigham Young University
Guadalupe Marquez-Verlarde, Utah State University