Mahesh Somashekhar

Mahesh Somashekhar is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Illinois-Chicago (UIC). He holds external affiliations with the University of Chicago's Stone Center for Research on Wealth Inequality and Mobility and the University of Washington's Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology. His research focuses on urban economic development's impact on marginalized communities, including gentrification, immigrant entrepreneurship, and health disparities. He earned his PhD in Sociology from Princeton University in 2016.

Education: PhD in Sociology, Princeton University (2016); prior work includes a book chapter on foundation expenses (Urban Institute, 2008). Research interests span urban studies, migration, race/ethnicity, and spatial demography. Key themes include the intersection of ethnic economies, suburbanization, and social inequality.

Awards: Winner of the AAG Business Geography Specialty Group Student Paper Competition (2015) for work on ethnic minority entrepreneurship. His publications address theoretical frameworks for non-urban ethnic economies, organizational diversity paradoxes, and institutional control in prisons.

Labs/Teams: Affiliated with interdisciplinary centers studying wealth inequality and demography. His work bridges sociology with policy-relevant urban development analysis.