Brandon Alston
Area(s) of Interest
Sociology of Culture, Surveillance, Crime and Law, Race, Gender, Class, Sexualities, Urban Neighborhoods, Digital Technologies, Qualitative Methods, and Inequalities.
Biography
Brandon Alston is a Ph.D. Candidate in the Department of Sociology at Northwestern University with graduate certificates in African American Studies and Teaching and Learning. His research examines how surveillance systems operate across poor neighborhoods, prisons, and parole programs. Several organizations have supported his commitment to research, including the National Academies of Sciences, the American Bar Foundation, and the Social Science Research Council. Brandon’s research has also received awards from national professional associations, including the American Sociological Association, the American Society of Criminology, and the Society for the Study of Social Problems. In 2021, Northwestern University also inducted Brandon into the Edward Bouchet Graduate Honor Society. Brandon also uses research to implement social interventions in Black communities to address disparities in trauma and gun violence. Before attending Northwestern, Brandon earned a Master of Science in Management (MSM) from Wake Forest University School of Business, where he was a Corporate Fellow. He also earned a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Religion (with distinction) from Haverford College, where he received the Mellon Mays Fellowship.