IIR Spotlight Interview: Dr. Kellie S. Wilkerson

Dr. Kellie S. Wilkerson is a Public and Applied Sociologist who earned her bachelor's degree in Applied Sociology from The University of Tampa, her master’s degree in Public Sociology from Cal Poly Humboldt, and her doctoral degree in Sociology from George Mason University. Dr. Wilkerson’s decision to come to George Mason University was rooted in her desire to apply sociological insights outside of the classroom. While at Cal Poly Humboldt, Dr. Wilkerson’s research focused on the idea of the global citizen and how participating in study abroad programs contributes to the idea of being part of a global community. This experience laid the groundwork for Dr. Wilkerson’s doctoral dissertation and desire to study at George Mason.  
 
When Dr. Wilkerson first came to George Mason in the Fall of 2020, she began working at the Center for Social Science Research (CSSR) and the Institute for Immigration Research (IIR). While at the IIR, Dr. Wilkerson worked on the Parallel Pandemic Project and later became an IIR Graduate Research Assistant (GRA) from 2023-2025. In this position, she worked on additional projects such as the Nobel Prize Laureates, Immigration Data on Demand (iDod), AmeriCorps Project: Athletes and Engagement, and Understanding the Contributions and Challenges among Fairfax County Residents.  
 
These projects enabled Dr. Wilkerson to apply and further develop her quantitative and qualitative research skills, apply statistical techniques to complete computational and textual analysis, expand her mentorship abilities, and engage in outreach within both the Mason community and the broader public. More importantly, working on these projects taught Dr. Wilkerson the necessity for multidisciplinary research methods. As Dr. Wilkerson stated, working at the IIR taught her how one perspective is not sufficient to answer a research question. This shaped how Dr. Wilkerson engages with and adopts multiple methodologies in her own research to get a more well-rounded perspective in her analysis. As Dr. Wilkerson noted, this practice was the most evident when she worked on the iDod project.  
 
iDod includes a visual storytelling component that provides educators, academics, organizations, policymakers and the public with statistical, geospatial, and textual analysis regarding immigrants living within their local communities and in the United States more broadly. By integrating these elements, Dr. Wilkerson noted that “iDod allows complex data to be communicated in an accessible way to the public”. While working on iDod, Dr. Wilkerson learned the impact of how producing iDod fact sheets serves communities across the United States to create positive change. This includes librarians who have used iDod fact sheets to better support immigrants in their community, non-profit organizations who have requested data for grant writing, and a high school math teacher who required up-to-date data for a classroom discussion about immigration while learning statistics. As Dr. Wilkerson articulated, there is often a disconnect between what the data actually says and how issues are portrayed in the media. Dr. Wilkerson highlighted that “the data typically tells a different story than what the media tells…Each individual has a story that's meaningful and that's powerful. That should be shared and should be considered when we're talking about stories of migration and displacement over time.” 
 
Dr. Wilkerson would like to see iDod grow into a larger scale project that not only produces more data, but trains new and emerging researchers and scholars. As Dr. Wilkerson stated, “iDod is such an insightful way to learn how to use U.S. Census data, to learn the relevance of geospatial analysis in social science research, and to learn how to engage quantitatively in a meaningful way.”  
 
When reflecting on the advice she would provide to current George Mason undergraduate and graduate students who are interested in building skills and pursuing research related to immigration, Dr. Wilkerson noted that students should “take advantage of every opportunity that you can. Say yes to things whenever possible, whenever your schedule allows.” Dr. Wilkerson highlighted that Mason and particularly the IIR offers various opportunities to get involved and to learn new things. For example, the IIR has hosted publicly available iDod training sessions, webinars, workshops, and events. These events included interviews with foreign-born collegiate and professional athletes, book talks with notable authors and scholars, and conversations with GRAMMY-award winning musicians. 
 
In addition to projects and events, when reflecting on her time at the IIR, Dr. Wilkerson’s fondest memory is the sense of community at the IIR. It is both a community of scholars and friends. She valued the different systems of support and that everyone who works at the IIR is there because they care. Although everyone has different backgrounds or varying levels of expertise, Dr. Wilkerson remarked that the IIR is a place where everyone comes together to share knowledge, learn from each other, spend time together, and build meaningful connections. Dr. Wilkerson is eager to continue her work at the IIR, where she looks forward to further strengthening and refining her quantitative and qualitative research skills through hands-on projects and collaborative initiatives. Through her work on the AmeriCorps and Fairfax County projects, Dr. Wilkerson is excited to deepen her ability to analyze complex data and engage with diverse communities, while also applying her sociological insight in practical, real-world contexts beyond the walls of academia, contributing to meaningful research and policy-relevant work.