University of Michigan School of Information

Christopher Quarles
Biography
In my previous position as a community college math instructor, I worked with many interventions focused on helping people get ahead. That experience taught me the in-the-weeds reasons why inequality is such a sticky problem. I came back to school to understand the larger-scale factors behind opportunity and social mobility. And since the only lasting change in the world is driven or supported by technology, I’m focused on the effects of our increasingly connected world on inequality, the transfer of human capital, and self-organization in social systems. I see my research as a continuation of my previous career. Ultimately, my goal is change - to use what I've learned to increase individuals' opportunity to achieve their goals.
Areas of Interest
- Computational social science
- Complex systems
- Inequality & information
- Social mobility
- Social clustering & self-organization
Education
M.S. Mathematics
B.S. Physics