Margot Moinester

Margot Moinester is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Washington University in St. Louis, affiliated with the Center for the Study of Race, Ethnicity & Equity and the Institute for Public Health. She holds a Ph.D. in Sociology from Harvard University, an M.A. from Harvard, and a B.A. in Health: Science, Society, and Policy from Brandeis University (summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa).

Her research focuses on three core areas: determinants of U.S. interior immigration enforcement, consequences of immigration enforcement systems, and refugee integration. Notable work includes analyses of deportation trends, policy impacts on health outcomes, and refugee success metrics. Her research has been published in top journals like the American Journal of Sociology and Demography, and supported by grants from the National Science Foundation and Russell Sage Foundation.

• Received the Dorothy S. Thomas Award and Best Student Paper Award from the American Sociological Association
• Teaching specialties include Migration and Health, Punishment and Inequality
• Advised multiple graduate and undergraduate theses

Key grants include a $174K Russell Sage Foundation study on deportation fears and a $10K Weidenbaum Center grant on refugee success measurement. Her work bridges sociology, public health, and policy, emphasizing marginalized populations.