Sociologist. Demographer.
Data Warrior. Relative.
Pėhéveéšeēva (good day). I am an Assistant Professor of Sociology and American Indian Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles. As a social demographer, I apply critical quantitative and mixed methods to research at the intersection of race, indigeneity, data, and inequality. I specialize in survey research in partnership with Indigenous communities and other marginalized populations. I ground my research in the following disciplinary lenses: Indigenous studies, sociology of race and ethnicity, political sociology, sociology of knowledge, critical demography, health policy research, and science and technology studies.
As an Indigenous woman (Northern Cheyenne and Chicana), I believe that I cannot be a good researcher and teacher without being a good relative. Building strong relationships with Indigenous communities, organizations, Native Nations, and students requires humility, flexibility, and honoring the lived experiences of Indigenous Peoples—past, present, and future.
I nurture these relationships by directing the Data Warriors Lab, which is an Indigenous social science laboratory. We connect researchers, students, and Indigenous communities to build data that support strong self-determined Indigenous futures. Our research model is grounded in the principles of Indigenous Data Sovereignty and Governance. Our work is driven by Indigenous communities (reservation, urban, and rural) and their pursuit of robust and meaningful data systems, policies, and practices. More on the Data Warriors Lab is coming soon.
Photo Credit: Matika Wilbur

“We can no longer live the way we used to. We cannot move around anymore the way we were brought up. We have to learn a new way of life. Let us ask for schools to be built in our country so that our children can go to these schools and learn this new way of life."
-Chief Dull Knife, Northern Cheyenne
Photo Credit: Yellowbird Programs
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Taking a Twitter break bc somehow I must get back to research & writing. Deadlines have come & gone. My reservation… https://t.co/THjOybGZ8W
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RT @thkukutai: Alternative headline: Globally renowned academic and Royal Society Fellow calls for university to dismantle racist… https://t.co/XlOpRomQzh
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And now there’s fires everywhere around our reservation. This really is the apocalypse. Where do we tap out? Where… https://t.co/AVmMuejx0h
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RT @DeondreSmiles: Hey all—I’ve written an entry for the OSU Geography departmental blog on Indigenous peoples and the 2020 Census! Gi… https://t.co/iumPlQiFa7
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#2020Census will NOT be an accurate count. We all knew this. Now the @uscensusbureau confirms it: "All of these ac… https://t.co/POPJvs7YHZ
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Northern Cheyenne Reservation in MT has 3rd highest #COVID19 infection rate in the US. We are 7th for total… https://t.co/pYXV6mGbAN
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RT @mintytem: Notre Dame American Studies is hiring a professor of Native American and Indigenous studies. https://t.co/h6nvFIbC6B
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7 #COVID19 deaths on my reservation as of today. Nobody knows how many have the virus bc the numbers are different… https://t.co/wgFfpcMui1
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RT @Dr_S_Jefferson: 71% of my $1M grant is funding 2 grad students, 3 hourly undergrads, + the time of a postdoc, 2 Black women consult… https://t.co/aHhnm2UdQx