Helene
Grogan

Sociology of Knowledge & Disability
University of Massachusetts, Amherst

hgrogan@umass.edu

Curriculum Vitae

I study the sociology of knowledge and science, particularly as applied in the realm of autism and disability. I am motivated by a desire to make disability more visible in the field of sociology, and to uplift the knowledge and expertise of disabled people.

Education

Ph.D. in Sociology

University of Massachusetts, Amherst

MA in Sociology

University of Massachusetts, Amherst

BS in Physics

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

2027 (Expected)
2023
1994

Professional Experience

Research Assistant, University of Massachusetts Amherst

Food, Activity, Screens and Teens (FAST) Study
Supervisor: James Kitts

Fall 2020 - Summer 2022
Summers 2020, 2021
Fall 2019 - Spring 2020
Research Assistant, University of Massachusetts Amherst

Supervisor: Amy Schalet

Teaching Assistant, University of Massachusetts Amherst

Grader: Social Problems, Criminology

Fall 2022 - Summer 2025
NSF Graduate Research Fellow,
University of Massachusetts Amherst

Publications

Kitts, James, Helene Grogan and Kevin Lewis. 2023. “Social Networks and Computational Social Science.” Pp. 44-54 in The Sage Handbook of Social Network Analysis, Second Edition, edited by J. McLevey, J. Scott, and P.J. Carrington. NY: Sage.

Presentations

Grogan, Helene D. 2023. “Prevention of What? Competing Biological Citizenship Claims and the Biopolitics of Autism Prevention.” ASA Annual Meeting, Disability in Society Roundtable 2: Professional Conceptions, Philadelphia, PA. August 19.
Grogan, Helene D. 2021. “Looking Down the Rabbit Hole: Sense-Making and QAnon.” Poster presented at the UMass Amherst DACSS Student Research Symposium, Amherst, MA, August 26. Poster awarded $100 commendation for “best use of methods for the data.”
Grogan, Helene D. 2019. “Supporting Trans Autistic People.” Poster presented at the Greenfield Community College Student Research Symposium, Greenfield, MA, May 3.

Honors & Awards

Best Student Paper Award, ASA Disability in Society section
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship
UMass Amherst Campus Climate Improvement Grant, AY 21-22

Project: Disability Culture and Community Speaker Series

2023
2021
2021
2019
UMass Amherst SBS/Sociology Lincoln Fellowship

Invited Talks & Panels

Student Experience Panel

UMass Graduate Student Orientation

October 2024
October 2021,
September 2022
August 2021
May 2021
April 2019
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program Info Session

UMass Office of Professional Development

In Our Own Voices: Neurodiversity Panel

Greenfield Community College

Time Management in Graduate School

UMass Sociology First-Year ProSeminar

Comprehensive Exam Experiences

UMass Sociology First-Year ProSeminar

March 2025
The Sociology of Disability, Knowledge and Expertise

Greenfield Community College Honors College Speaker Series

Peer Review

American Sociological Review
Autism in Adulthood
2023 - 2024
2022 - 2025

Memberships & Service

UMass Amherst Sociology Graduate Student Association

Graduate Program Committee (2021 - 2023)
Secretary (2020 - 2021)
Equity & Social Justice Committee (2019 - 2020)

2019 - Present
2019 - Present
American Sociological Association

Sections: Science, Knowledge, and Technology; Disability in Society; Environmental Sociology

Research Interests

Autism, disability, knowledge, science, eugenics, text analysis, networks, politics.