Derek is a sociology PhD candidate with research interests in global health, international development, and organizations. Much of his research focuses on the activities of international nongovernmental organizations (INGOs), especially those active in Cambodia providing health care services, as well as the activities of citizen-led, amateur aid organizations, oftentimes referred to as grassroots INGOs.
Derek's dissertation, supported by a Fulbright U.S. Student Program fellowship, will compare how professionalized INGOs and grassroots INGOs draw upon various forms of expert knowledge in the provision of health care services in Cambodia, with special attention to how expertise manifests in organizational structures and interactions with Khmer beneficiaries. While researching in Cambodia, he will be a Visiting Fellow at the Cambodia Development Resource Institute.
Beyond studying INGOs, Derek is also interested in postcolonial theory and organizational theory, and how concepts from these perspectives can be combined to better understand transnational organizational structures and interorganizational relationships.
Education History
M.A. Sociology, Indiana University, 2021; B.A. Sociology with distinction, University of Virginia, 2018; B.A. Biology, University of Virginia, 2018
The College of Arts