Mario Luis Small

Mario Luis Small is the Quetelet Professor of Social Science and Chair of the Department of Sociology at Columbia University. He has held prominent roles including Director of the Data and Racial Inequality Project and Visiting Professorships at Harvard University and Columbia Business School. His research focuses on social networks, urban inequality, and qualitative methods, leveraging large-scale data to explore topics like racial segregation and financial access disparities. Small has authored influential books such as Someone to Talk To and Qualitative Literacy, emphasizing rigorous evaluation of qualitative research.

Education: Ph.D. in Sociology from Harvard University (2001), M.A. in Sociology (1998), B.A. in Sociology and Anthropology from Carleton College (1996) with Magna cum laude honors.

Research interests span social networks' decision-making processes, urban inequality dynamics using big data, and methodological standards for qualitative research. His work bridges quantitative and qualitative approaches, addressing issues like spatial exposure to neighborhoods, mobility patterns, and institutional impacts on marginalized communities.

Key awards include the Robert and Helen Lynd Award (2024), National Academy of Sciences membership (2022), and American Academy of Arts and Sciences election (2020). He has advised over 50 doctoral and master's students across multiple universities, focusing on urban sociology, networks, and inequality.

Grants include studies on payday lending and spatial inequality funded by the Washington Center for Equitable Growth and the National Science Foundation. His professional service includes editorial roles in top journals like Sociological Methods and Research and leadership in the Sociological Research Association.

Labs/Teams: Leads the Data and Racial Inequality Project (DRIP) at Columbia, collaborating with interdisciplinary teams to analyze urban data. Active in global networks like the Russell Sage Foundation and the Spencer Foundation.