Brian W. Halpin

Brian W. Halpin is a Continuing Lecturer in the Department of Sociology at the University of California, Davis within the College of Letters and Science. He earned his PhD and MA in Sociology from UC Davis in 2016 and 2010, respectively, and a BA in Sociology with high honors from UC Berkeley in 2007.

Research Interests:

• Low-wage work and labor markets
• Reproduction of social and economic inequality
• Sociological theory and ethnography
• Political sociology and capitalism

Scientific Awards:

• 2023 College of Letters and Science Teaching Award
• 2020 ASUCD Excellence in Education Award
• 2016 Distinguished Student Paper Award (ASA)
• 2015 Outstanding Graduate Student Teaching Award
• 2015-2016 Provost's Dissertation Year Fellowship
• 2012 Graduate Student Research Fellowship (UC Davis Center for Poverty Research)
• 2011 Mayhew Award for Best Qualifying Paper

His work on low-wage labor markets has been featured in prominent media outlets and policy briefs, including Theory and Society, Working in America, and the UC Davis Center for Poverty Research. Halpin's publications explore workplace control, flexible employment, and labor policy, with a focus on marginalized workers.

Teaching: Halpin instructs courses such as Introduction to Sociology, Social Problems, Qualitative Research Methods, and Social Policy. His teaching emphasizes labor, political sociology, and organizational dynamics.