Scott Feld

Scott Feld is Professor of Sociology at Purdue University, where he has taught since 2004. He previously served on the faculties of SUNY-Stony Brook (1975-1991) and Louisiana State University (1991-2004). His expertise lies in social networks, decision-making processes, and evaluation research.

Education:

• Ph.D. in Sociology, Johns Hopkins University (1976)

Research Interests: Professor Feld's ongoing investigations center on the causes and consequences of patterns within social networks, the mechanisms underlying individual and collective decision-making, and the application of sociological insights—most recently to innovations in marriage and divorce laws such as covenant marriage. His work spans theoretical modeling, empirical analysis, and policy evaluation.

Publication Trends: Across more than sixty refereed articles—twelve of which appear in the top journals of sociology and political science—his scholarship reveals a consistent focus on network structure, voting and collective choice, and the diffusion of behaviors. Recent contributions emphasize privacy-sensitive network interventions, contagion control, and leveraging the friendship paradox to guide public-health policy.

Teaching & Service: He regularly teaches undergraduate and graduate courses on social networks, research methods, and statistics, integrating his research findings into classroom instruction.