Melissa A. Cidade

Melissa A. Cidade is an Adjunct Professor at George Mason University, affiliated with the Department of Sociology and Anthropology. Her academic focus includes Survey Methodology, Statistics, and Survey Cognition, with an emphasis on cognition in survey instruments and measurement error within the Total Survey Error Framework. She has over 15 years of applied experience in government, non-profit, academic, and for-profit sectors, specializing in multimodal data collection and establishment survey design.

Education:

• Ph.D., Department of Sociology and Anthropology (2017), George Mason University
• M.A., Department of Sociology (2005), The Catholic University of America
• B.A., Department of Sociology (2003), Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania

Her recent research explores establishment survey response processes, including justice-related data collection and secondary analysis of field contact. She has presented at the Federal Committee on Statistical Methodology (FCSM) Research and Policy Conference, American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR), and American Statistical Association (ASA) Joint Statistical Meeting. Publications cover topics in environmental health, reproductive health, and epidemiological methodologies, reflecting her dual expertise in survey design and public health research.

Scientific Contributions:

• Developed frameworks for addressing historically undercounted populations in establishment surveys.
• Investigated participatory economic survey research through stakeholder engagement.
• Advanced respondent-centered design principles in survey instruments.
• Integrated public libraries data with other sources for comprehensive analysis.

She teaches SOCI 313: Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences, and is accessible via mcidade@gmu.edu. Office hours are held on Sundays from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM Eastern time or by appointment.