Tony Cheng

Tony Cheng is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Duke University's Trinity College of Arts & Sciences. His research examines how the legitimization of state power perpetuates social inequalities, with a focus on policing practices and administrative state interactions. He holds a Ph.D. in Sociology from Yale University and a J.D. from New York University School of Law.

Cheng's work has been supported by grants including the NSF CAREER Award and a Russell Sage Foundation grant. His book The Policing Machine (2024) analyzes police resistance to reforms through community engagement strategies. He teaches courses on policing politics and public policy, including Sociol 214: Politics of Policing and PUBPOL 792: Special Readings in Public Policy Studies.

• Key Research Themes: Policing legitimacy, institutional reform, racial inequality, administrative state dynamics.
• Awards: ASA Award, ASC Award, LSA Award, NSF CAREER Award.
• Grants: NSF CAREER: Elite Wealth in Big City Policing (2024-2029).

His publications in top journals like American Journal of Sociology and Criminology explore police-community relations, social media's role in policing discourse, and historical institutional developments in policing.