Patrick Parnaby

Patrick Parnaby is an Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at the University of Guelph, affiliated with the College of Social & Applied Human Sciences. His research focuses on risk discourse, policing, deviant behavior, and the social construction of expertise and control mechanisms. He holds a PhD from McMaster University (2004).

Key research areas include the sociology of risk, crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED), evolutionary psychology influences on policing, and the social dynamics of police retirees. Recent studies examine retirement's impact on police officers' identity and resilience, collaborating with the Police Pensioners Association of Ontario.

His work bridges sociology and criminology, analyzing intersections between professional practices (e.g., financial planning, healthcare) and societal control. Notable projects include investigations into police Twitter activity, symbolic violence in financial advising, and interdisciplinary approaches to understanding police deviance.

Publications span topics like disaster policing, role transition after retirement, and the cultural politics of urban space. Parnaby actively supervises MA and PhD students, emphasizing empirical and theoretical contributions to sociological inquiry.