Director

Dr. Christopher Sullivan earned a Ph.D. in Sociology and Demography from the University of California, Berkeley, in 2013. 

Dr. Sullivan’s research has focused on understanding how processes of globalization influence social institutions — from large-scale financial institutions like the World Bank to more local institutions centered around HIV care in California’s Central Valley. His research uses a mixture of qualitative and quantitative methodologies. Dr. Sullivan lived and conducted research in mainland China for nearly 5 years. He has studied Mandarin Chinese, Uyghur, Turkish, and German.

Recent Publications include:

Clarke, Kris, Söderström, Ilo, Sullivan, Christopher B. and Leena-Maija Rossi. 2026.  "LGBTQI+ inclusion in Finnish social work education: reality or empty talk?" Social Work Education: 1-19.

Sullivan, Christopher and Kris Clarke. 2026. “Social Workers as Co-Conspirators: Lessons from the AIDS Epidemic in Fresno, California.” In Contemporary Issues in Social Work Education, edited by Minna Zechner. Springer.

Söderström, Ilo, Clarke, Kris, Sullivan, Christopher B. and Leena-Maija Rossi. 2025. “Näkymätön sateenkaarevuus – Sosiaalityön opiskelijoiden seksuaalisuuden ja sukupuolen moninaisuutta koskevat asenteet ja tiedon tarpeet.” Janus Sosiaalipolitiikan ja sosiaalityön tutkimuksen aikakauslehti, 33(3): 328–347. (Published in Finnish)