Alexis M. Silver

Alexis M. Silver is an Associate Professor of Sociology and Latin American, Caribbean, and Latinx Studies at Purchase College, State University of New York, where she also serves as Department Chair of Sociology. Her research and teaching focus on immigration, youth belonging, deportation, and transnational families.

• PhD, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (2011)
• MA, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• BA, Colorado College

Her research centers on the experiences of Latinx immigrant and second-generation youth in the U.S., as well as return migrant and deportee youth in Mexico. She explores themes of national membership, belonging, and identity formation in new immigrant destinations. A second research line investigates transnational family dynamics shaped by migration and separation.

Her recent publications reflect a consistent focus on forced return, DACA, emotional impacts of migration, and youth adaptation. These works span journals such as Ethnic and Racial Studies, International Migration, and Latino Studies, demonstrating interdisciplinary engagement across sociology, migration studies, and human rights.

Notable awards include:

• Faculty Support Award, Purchase College (2013–2018)
• Junior Faculty Development Leave Award, SUNY (2014)
• Everett K. Wilson Teaching Award (2010)
• NSF Graduate Fellowship Honorable Mention (2006)
• Phi Beta Kappa (2000)

She is the author of Shifting Boundaries: Immigrant Youth Negotiating National, State and Small Town Politics (Stanford University Press, 2018). She teaches core courses in research methods, immigration, law and society, and human rights. While no formal advising list is provided, her leadership in the junior seminar and research methods suggests active mentorship. She has no lab or research team explicitly mentioned, but her collaborative publications indicate strong research partnerships.