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
2028 (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
Fall 2025 - Summer 2026
Assistant Editor, American Sociological Review
Grants & Fellowships
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship
UMass Amherst Campus Climate Improvement Grant, AY 26-27
Project: Spicies and Spoonies: A Gathering Place for Disabled and Neurodivergent Students, Faculty, and Staff
2026
2021
2021
2019
UMass Amherst SBS/Sociology Lincoln Fellowship
UMass Amherst Campus Climate Improvement Grant, AY 21-22
Project: Disability Culture and Community Speaker Series
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.
Academic 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.
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
Honors & Awards
Best Student Paper Award, ASA Disability in Society section
Graduate Student Service Award, UMass Sociology Graduate Student Association
2023
2022
Peer Review
American Sociological Review
Autism in Adulthood
2023 - 2024
2022 - 2026
2025
Mathematical Sociology
Memberships & Service
UMass Amherst Sociology Graduate Student Association
Allocations Algorithm Operator (2020 - 2026)
Graduate Program Committee (2021 - 2023)
Secretary (2020 - 2021)
Equity & Social Justice Committee (2019 - 2020)
2019 - Present
2019 - Present
Building Capacity for Disability Justice in Nursing
Research Advisory Board
2026 - 2028
2026
2025 - 2026
American Sociological Association
Sections: Science, Knowledge, and Technology; Disability in Society; Medical Sociology
STAVROS Center for Independent Living
Board of Directors; Development Committee