Sociologist
Maura Kelly
I am a Professor in the Sociology Department at Portland State University.
As a public sociologist, I research inequalities in the construction trades and advocate to increase opportunities for women and people of color in the trades. My team’s evaluation research has assessed a variety of programs intended to increase the recruitment and retention of diverse workers in the trades, including the Highway Construction Workforce Development Program; Green Dot for the Trades; City of Seattle Acceptable Work Sites; Mentorship Matters; as well as pre-apprenticeship programs by Oregon Tradeswomen, Constructing Hope, and the Pacific Northwest Carpenters Institute.
Additionally, I am a feminist sociologist with interests in gender, sexualities, work and occupations, popular culture, and research methods. My research has assessed the experiences of queer and trans people, particularly in the context of work. I have also written about research methods about in a variety of contexts, most extensively in my edited volume Feminist Research in Practice.
I teach a variety of graduate courses, including a seminar on gender inequality and courses on qualitative and mixed methods. At the undergraduate level, I teach courses on gender, sexuality, work, and popular culture. I am also the Graduate Director and a co-coordinator for our undergraduate internship program.
