Emma V. Taylor
Emma V. Taylor
Graduate Research Assistant
Sociology: Sociology of Everyday Life; Digital Nomads; Social Media; Early Adulthood; Health Disparities; Housing; Popular Culture
Emma V. Taylor recently earned her PhD in Sociology from George Mason University. She received her BA in Sociology and Communication Studies, with a minor in Family Studies, from Grove City College. After working as an event planner in the Pittsburgh area, she moved to DC and completed an MA in Sociology Research & Practice at American University. While at AU, Emma was featured as a Graduate Student Changemaker and researched social determinants of health for the Immigration Lab, focusing on homelessness, diabetes, and BMI. Her research on health disparities between housed, marginally housed, and homeless populations in El Paso, Texas was published in the Journal of Migration and Health in 2020.
While at Mason, Emma worked as both a Graduate Teaching Assistant and a Graduate Research Assistant. During her first year, she was a teaching assistant for an online Introduction to Sociology course and the undergraduate Statistics for Behavioral Science class. She also previously served as the GRA for the Youth Research Council and as the lead GRA for the Fairfax County Economic Mobility Pilot program. She additionally worked on an NSF-funded project in the Schar School investigating perceptions of AI use in the peer review process.
Emma acted in several service positions throughout her time at Mason. During the 2022-2023 academic year, she was the President of the Public Sociology Association (PSA) for graduate students, and she was the Graduate Student Representative on the Department of Sociology and Anthropology Colloquium Committee. In 2023, Emma was recognized as the Devlin Family Scholarship recipient for her work with the PSA and developing Community Research Resources at the CSSR. She served as the Sociology Ph.D. Program Representative to the Graduate and Professional Student Association (GAPSA) during the 2023-2024 academic year.
Her research interests include digital nomads and their connections to social networks, social media, housing, and early adulthood.
Selected Publications
Castañeda, Ernesto, Blaine Smith, and Emma Vetter. 2020. “Hispanic health disparities and housing: Comparing measured and self-reported health metrics among housed and homeless Latin individuals.” Journal of Migration and Health. 1-2:1-8. 10.1016/j.jmh.2020.100008.
Education
PhD in Sociology, George Mason University (2026)
MA in Sociology Research & Practice, American University (2021)
BA in Sociology and Communication Studies, Grove City College (2017)
Recent Presentations
“The Money I Get is Like Oxygen to Me: Short and Long-term Mobility Investments Facilitated by the Fairfax County Economic Mobility Pilot.” Mini-Conference: Communities in Contention. Eastern Sociological Society Conference. With Amy Best, Ph.D., Elizangela Storelli, Ph.D., Aziza Ahmed, and Isabella Burns. March 5, 2026. Washington, D.C.
“Sociologists’ Perceptions of AI versus Human Decision Making in the Peer Review Process.” Panel Presentation. Southern Sociological Society Annual Meeting. With Connie McNeely, Ph.D., James Witte, Ph.D., Thomas Hinz, Ph.D., Roberta Splater-Roth, Ph.D., and Chad Smith. April 11, 2025. Charlotte, NC.
"Start Romanticizing Your Life: A Social Media Analysis of Everyday Life in the #VanLife Community." Roundtable Presentation. American Sociological Association Annual Meeting. August 12, 2024. Montréal, Québec.